Just Friends
by Deaths.Last.Prayer
Summary: Is what Lelouch and Suzaku keep telling everyone that they are and really, they couldn't imagine being anything other than that. Or so they thought. Suzaku x Lelouch. Rating will increase.
1. Who Know That Family Matters

"Suzaku, I want you to meet somebody."

"Meet somebody?" Bright emerald eyes held confusion as the five year old stared at his mother.

"Yes, come on dear."

Hesitantly he took his mother's hand and followed her through their home and outside to the gardens. Sitting beneath his mother's favorite cherry blossom tree was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen- next to his mother of course. She had flowing midnight black hair, ivory skin, and the most stunning pair of violet irises… they were like jewels perched upon her face.

An angel…

For young Suzaku Kururugi, it was love at first sight.

"Is this him Keiko?" Even her voice was heavenly.

Keiko nodded as she and Suzaku paused in front of the gorgeous woman. "Suzaku, I want you to meet Marianne Vi Britannia."

"It's my pleasure to finally meet you, Suzaku." She smiled softly before she pulled a small boy from hiding behind her chair. "This is my beloved child Lelouch and you two are about the same age. I do hope that the both of you get along."

Suzaku stared at the child in front of him, his jade eyes wide and shinning. He'd thought Marianne was gorgeous but this person, this tiny angel… He mentally apologized to Marianne, sure that his angel could hear him, because his heart now belonged to another- to Lelouch. Those lavender eyes were brighter than Marianne's as they captured the sun and reflected it in a hue of staggering emotion. The child's skin was fairer and brought out those jet black tresses that looked like fine silk beneath the sun's rays.

Suzaku wanted to keep the pretty little angel standing cutely beside Marianne. "Mommy, can I have her?" His little finger pointed at Lelouch.

The two women exchanged amused glances before giggling softly into their hands.

Lelouch frowned as he realized he'd just been called a her… Lelouch Vi Britannia was _not_ a girl and how dare that rugged boy insinuate such thing. Not only that, the boy had dared to ask if he could _have _him… the young prince was outraged. "You may not and I am _not_ a girl." He resisted the urge to stomp his foot angrily.

For a moment, Suzaku simply stared before he walked up to Lelouch and pinched the boy's cheek.

"Ow!" Lelouch slapped the hand away from his face and held his bruised cheek. He didn't understand why Suzaku had touched him in such a manner but he didn't like it. He didn't like him. "Why'd you do that?"

Instead of answering, Suzaku frowned and turned to walk back over to his mother. "It's a boy, mommy…"

Keiko nodded. "Yes dear, Lelouch is a boy and I want you to get along with him. He'll be staying with us for some time."

That was the point of the meeting. Lelouch would stay with the Kururugi family and become cultured. It was a peace offering and a show of faith towards the newly formed friendship between Prime Minister Kururugi and Emperor Charles Zi Britannia. Marianne and Keiko had become good friends themselves and this cultural exchange was entirely their idea. It seemed to be going relatively well so far.

Amethyst eyes widened as Lelouch turned to stare at his own mother. "We're staying _here_?"

He thought Japan was pretty, ten times more gorgeous than where he lived, and the Kururugi home was vast in size, it looked like something out of a painting, but it was neither Britannia nor the Britannian palace. And he was the only one with his mother so Lelouch was going to assume that his brothers and sisters, at least the ones that he liked, would not be in Japan with him. His favorite chef wouldn't be able to make him his favorite dishes. He wouldn't be able to ride his favorite horse, Isabella. He wouldn't be able to dig through his vast wardrobe, not that he would want to wear his nice clothes in the gorgeously dusty countryside.

More than all of those things, he couldn't imagine spending his days with a simpleton like Suzaku Kururugi. He enjoyed Keiko, thought Genbu a formidable opponent in chess, but he could not foresee himself spending a lengthy amount of time with Suzaku and enjoying it.

At least his mother would be with him.

"Not _we_ darling, just you." Marianne smiled deviously. She could see the wheels in her child's mind spinning as he stood there with a frown tugging at his pink lips. She felt him seething beside her but she was sure that he'd be fine.

Once he got used to the idea of Japan, Lelouch would view it as a learning experience and the boy loved to learn new things. It was one of his strong points.

"Alone?" He grasped his mother's leg as he stared at her. Why would she do this to him? Why?

"Yes. Mind your manners towards the Kururugi family who's offered to care for you during your stay. You'll only be here for the summer months and then I will come back to bring you home and perhaps during the winter holiday Suzaku can stay with us." Marianne smiled at the other boy who wore a scowl identical to her son's.

Green eyes met purple before Suzaku stared up at his mother. "I don't want him to stay here mommy. He's 'noying and whines lots." His angel had turned out to be nothing more than a sham and he would much rather the boy go somewhere else.

"I'm sure he's just surprised by the sudden change of events. I want you to be nice to Lelouch, Suzaku, and I'm sure the two of you will be the best of friends."

And it was true, Lelouch Vi Britannia and Suzaku Kururugi would look back on the faithful day that they met, the staggering week that they'd hated one another, and the following three months that gave life to a friendship that would become something bigger than either one of them could imagine.

* * *

There were summers spent in Japan, summers spent in Britannia, trips planned between the mothers who shipped their children to various places around the world so that they could bond. Their children grew to know each other. Suzaku knew and even enjoyed the company of some of the other Britannian children.

Through Lelouch, Suzaku was able to perfect his English and he became accustomed to the boy's elevated taste, intellect, and eccentricities. Lelouch was a bit high strung, sarcastic, and far too physically lazy to be ordinary but he held views about the world and about the people in it that Suzaku admired. He had a fire and a passion that drove him to be nothing less than the best and Suzaku had found that he really liked that about the boy. And though Lelouch had a hard exterior that was tough to crack, once it was, it was easy to see that he was nothing more than a ball of mush on the inside.

Through Suzaku, Lelouch became enamored with the finesse of the Japanese culture and their morals. He also came to value Suzaku's simple and generous nature. The boy was arrogant and cocky but he was also self-righteous and held a love for his country that could rival no one else. What Lelouch had learned and could say that he liked the most about Suzaku was that sweet and gentle disposition that guided the boy's every action (even if he didn't notice). He stood up for the less fortunate even if he didn't bother to stand up for himself and such a strength… Suzaku wasn't the brightest bulb but he had a big heart and that was all that truly mattered.

Over the years, their strong friendship hadn't wavered.

Not when they began going to the prestigious Ashford Academy.

Not with the onset of puberty that had encouraged Suzaku to begin dating and advancing sexually at an astronomical rate.

Not when they joined the student council or their separate clubs of interest.

Not when they'd made friends outside of each other.

Not when girls began to maul Lelouch just as eagerly as they pawed over Suzaku.

And certainly nothing would deter a twelve year friendship with the start of their senior year in high school.

Certainly…

* * *

**Disclaimer: **_Code Geass_ belongs to CLAMP, however, this plot belongs to me. I make no profit from this fiction.

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**Warning: **_Sex, language, and violence in later chapters. Alternate Universe._**  
**

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**Pairings: **It starts of really slow but the overall pairing here will be Suzaku x Lelouch. All others that occur are either not important or short-lived.

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**JUST FRIENDS  
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_Chapter I__: Who_ _Know That Family Matter_

* * *

"Who are you rooming with this year? Do you know yet?" Periwinkle eyes stared at the brunet through the mirrors reflection.

A smile blossomed on a tanned face as Suzaku sat up and slid to rest against the headboard of Lelouch's bed. "I'm stuck with Gino. Which is fine, I mean, it beats sharing a room with Rivalz any day."

Lelouch couldn't help but to laugh at that. He knew of the horrors that his dear friend faced the year prior when he'd been pitted in a room with Rivalz. Suzaku did not like un-cleanliness, which the young prince had always found quite odd considering that the other boy was an athlete and always on the go. Where he found the time and energy to clean, Lelouch wasn't sure.

"You'll be fine. You've shared hotel rooms with him during away meets or games, right? So really, this should be no different." He sighed and turned away from the mirror to stare at Suzaku. "Does this look too small to you?" He really did want to wear the shirt that Euphy had given him, it was going to be his going away present to her of sorts, but he didn't like the way it fit. He also didn't like the ruffle style but this was for his sister… his sister who would be leaving for Pendragon to attend university at the end of the month.

Emerald eyes appraised the smaller man standing in front of the mirror and Suzaku nodded. Lelouch looked fine to him. Tight black jeans, funky white ruffled shirt, and crisscross belts… it was an outfit he was sure that Euphy had picked out for Lelouch herself.

"It's not too small. I think it fits you just fine." He didn't really care because, compared to him, everyone would be overdressed. There wasn't a single Britannian party in which Suzaku had seen otherwise.

Whether it was to celebrate a birthday or someone achieving a good grade, the parties were lavish and extravagant beyond Suzaku's personal taste. The only thing that he could rejoice in was the fact that the food was so good it numbed his taste buds. And now he was hungry.

Suzaku stood from the bed and stretched. "Can we go down there now or are you still prettying yourself up?" Because sometimes Lelouch took as long as his sisters to get ready and it was just ridiculous. Then again, he'd always been somewhat vain.

The eleventh prince glowered in Suzaku's direction. "Maybe if you took a little more time to fix yourself up then people wouldn't mistake you for the royal family's charity case." To his great amusement, it had happened on several occasions.

A slender brown eyebrow rose before Suzaku began to laugh. "I'd much rather be mistaken for the help, or even your charity, than a girl, Lulu."

Lelouch feigned insult as he clutched at his chest. "And even looking as I do, I still manage to attract just as many admirers as you, if not more."

Tan fingers flexed as Suzaku grabbed the doorknob. "That's going a bit far… besides, your five-hundred or so siblings that have a brother-complex don't count." A wicked grin took over his face as he fled from the room before Lelouch had the chance to retaliate.

* * *

"Can I talk to you in the gardens?"

Suzaku swallowed thickly as he stared at Euphemia. It was hard not to stare at her with the way that she looked that night. Her hair was a stream of bouncy spiral curls, her lilac eyes popped beneath her bangs, her white dress accentuated her gorgeous curvy figure and cut off mid thigh, and her legs (because Suzaku had discovered long ago that he had a thing for a nice pair of legs) were to die for. Princess Euphemia looked stunning, she always did, and it never went unnoticed to the Japanese boy.

Over the years, Suzaku had put Euphy in a special little place in his heart.

She was not quite like a sister to him and not quite a crush. He enjoyed her company, their conversations, and even their occasional flirting but he couldn't see himself dating her, or any of Lelouch's other sisters, for several reasons. First and foremost was the fact that the entirety of the Royal Family was always at the very least _one_ of two things: insane or intimidating. Even the seemingly docile Clovis had his issues. They all had an odd sibling complex but he supposed it came with the lifestyle. They were some of each other's only friends because trust was a hard thing to come by when you were royalty. Schneizel was the worst and he'd only recently begun to like Suzaku as it was within the last two years or so.

At least, Suzaku had hoped so… it seemed like it.

He prayed that Schneizel liked him to some degree.

Royal family oddities aside, there was another pertinent reason why dating Euphy had never been a goal at the forefront of his mind. She was Lelouch's _sister_. _Sister._ It was like an unspoken rule in the Bro Code: never date a fellow Bro's sister no matter the age, shape, or size. If things went wrong, then who was to say that his friendship with Lelouch would survive and that was a risk that Suzaku wasn't willing to take for anyone. They'd been through a lot over the years and the tiny threat of their 1.2 decade friendship ending had only came up once or twice but it'd never happened and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Well?" Cherry blossom colored hair blew in the wind as amethyst irises pinned the boy.

"Sure." Suzaku followed Euphy away from the patio and into the gardens.

Briefly he wondered what she could possibly want to talk about in such a place. Or maybe she simply needed a breather from the party and he was the closest one to her to drag along. Since the event was about her, she'd been flocked and bombarded by people since the moment the palace gates opened. There were thousands of people milling about the Grand Hall: friends, family, faculty, and people that probably didn't even know Euphy but were there anyway. It had to be overwhelming. But she would have a lot of gifts to show for.

It paid to be royalty.

"Hey, it's a full moon." Suzaku smiled as he stared up at the moon illuminating the night sky before he glanced around the gardens. They came to life in an entirely different way beneath the moon's light. The flowers and plants all looked so beautifully ethereal.

Euphy glanced at him from the corner of her eye, a soft smile tugging at her pink lips as she sat near the fountain. "Yes… it's gorgeous out tonight."

He nodded and sat beside her.

A comfortable silence lapsed between them, the wind carrying the music from the party to their ears and blending with the pitter-patter of the water behind them. The princess watched Suzaku carefully as he spread his arms along the back of the bench and allowed his head to lull backwards. A sigh tumbled from parted lips before a grin bloomed on his face and his eyes fluttered shut. A gust of wind swept over them, rustling their hair and causing Suzaku's jacket to flutter. He was so relaxed, so at one with the world around him, and he didn't even care who was or wasn't watching.

It was refreshing to see someone who was so… so real.

Euphy smiled to herself as she marveled over the fact that she'd gotten to know such a person.

"It'll be weird not seeing you around school." Deep olive tinted eyes glanced at Euphy from beneath heavy lids. Suzaku was accustomed to seeing her and sitting amongst she and her friends for lunch every so often.

She was a popular girl who had her hands in everything and everyone adored her. He felt honored that she, as an older sister of sorts, would take the time to speak with him during the school day, let alone have lunch with him. Suzaku supposed that, what he enjoyed more than those moments, were the ones in which he, Lelouch, Euphy, and Nunnally would sneak off to their on-campus villa for lunch. On rare occasions, they would take the time to prepare a lunch for themselves as Sayoko carefully watched over their shoulders to ensure that the house didn't end up burnt down.

Thanks to his skills, they managed just fine.

And on those days, lunch always tasted the best.

Yes… he would miss having Euphy at school.

"Same here." Her gaze met Suzaku's. "I'm actually kind of nervous… Although Clovis and Carine will be there with me, I won't really know anybody else and it will be nothing like being at Ashford." It wasn't that she wouldn't know anyone, it was more that none of her true friends would be at Pendragon University with her… and she would sorely miss Lelouch, Nunnally… Suzaku.

She was only a year his senior and she'd been around him nearly as long as Lelouch had. Suzaku was a part of their family and, with the years, he'd become something more than that in her eyes. He was charming and even though he had a way with women and words, he never treated anyone badly. Not even the bigots who sometimes harassed him at school. He was athletic and had joined student council with she and Lelouch simply because they'd wanted him to. In retrospect, he did a lot for Lelouch, herself, and the rest of their family without ever asking for anything in return…

Suzaku was an extremely loyal friend and he came from a fantastic family.

There was nothing to dislike about him, which was probably why her idea of friendship between them had romantically shifted as she matured.

Suzaku Kururugi was, virtually, the perfect man for her.

And Euphemia Li Britannia wanted him.

"I think you'll be fine. You're outgoing and people always love you once they get to know you." Suzaku's smile was dazzling as he sat up and glanced at the princess. "I know I did." He winked and scarlet flooded her cheeks.

"Ah… Well…" She wrung her hands and stared into her lap. It was now or never. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

Russet bangs fell over Suzaku's eyes as he tilted his head curiously. "What is?" Weren't they already talking about her going away to college? He felt confused.

Euphy took a deep breath before she looked up and into bright green eyes with a determination that she hadn't had before. "I like you, Suzaku… a lot." And before he could respond to her words, she leaned forward, her supple lips pressing to his.

His lips were warm but… but he wasn't moving… His lips weren't working against hers, his arms weren't wrapping about her waist, and he wasn't keeling beneath her delicate touch. She chanced it and opened her eyes but she wished she hadn't as soon as she saw the look in his. Jade irises were wide and unblinking as they locked with hers and it was in that moment that she realized he'd broken from his daze. But it wasn't to comply with her heart felt actions in the way she'd saw it in her mind, no, it was to gently push her away. So there they sat, his hands on her shoulders and their eyes locked.

She'd been rejected.

Princess Euphemia Li Britannia had been rejected.

And it hurt.

She'd been so sure that… what with their constant flirting, their impeccable chemistry… how could he… Was there someone else? But even if there was, there was no doubt in her mind that she took precedence over that someone else. And she'd been almost positive that they felt the same way. It didn't make sense.

"I'm sorry." The words flew from Suzaku's mouth before he truly had a chance to think about them but there wasn't much else that he could say.

Nothing could reverse what had happened and, had he not been so shocked, he was sure he would have thoroughly responded to Euphy's advances. But he would've regretted that far more than he regretted seeing the crushed look that cast itself upon her face with the utterance of those two words.

He wanted to return her feelings, honestly he did, but it'd be wrong. She was gorgeous and he felt privileged that she felt any way towards him seeing as she could have anyone her heart so desired but… she was Lelouch's sister. His second favorite sister right after Nunnally.

If Suzaku were to break Euphy's heart while they were dating, even if it were unintentionally, he could kiss his lifelong friendship to Lelouch goodbye and that thought scared him terribly.

People didn't know or even understand his and Lelouch's relationship because, from an outsiders point of view, they were so very different. But it was their differences and personal oddities that had been the foundation of their friendship from the very beginning. Furthermore, they shared a lot of key qualities that were similar and Suzaku couldn't think of anyone replacing Lelouch as his best friend, his partner in crime…

And he just couldn't risk that kind of bond on a fleeting whim to hook-up with Euphemia.

He didn't have the time or patience to work through another 12 years of his life to build a friendship like the one that he had with Lelouch or even to build a bond like the one that he and his parents had with the Royal family.

So no… Princess Euphemia just wasn't worth it, even at the expense of her heart.

But he wouldn't feel any less guilty for causing her such pain.

"I'm sorry Euphy. It's not you, trust me when I say that. I feel so honored right now and if you or I weren't you and I, I would've leapt at the opportunity to return your feelings." He sorely hoped that that had made sense. "What I'm trying to say is, well, you're like family and your Lelouch's sister… if your brothers found out about this I'd be dead. But um… what I mean is… I wouldn't want our relationship to change and possibly ruin the one that I already have with you and your family." He sighed as his gaze drifted skyward. "Call me a coward but I just don't want there to ever be the possibility that you and I can't sit like this or that I can't go visit you while your away at school or even that we can't enjoy a food fight in the dead of morning during the holidays."

Suzaku wanted so badly to reciprocate her feelings and, in some regard, he did feel the same but it just wasn't wise to act on those feelings. So many things had the potential to go wrong and if they did he wouldn't be able to fix them. And nothing would ever be the same again.

He was sure that she wouldn't like that anymore than him.

Euphy bit her bottom lip as she willed herself not to break down in hysterics. She wanted to, god did she want to, but she wouldn't. She was stronger than that and there were still questions that she wanted to ask. "Do you…" A sob nearly worked its way up her throat but she swallowed it. "Do you at least like me a little bit?" It hurt to talk and she wanted to be anywhere but sitting ashamedly in front of Suzaku.

Suzaku's smile was soft and genuine as he stared at her and Euphy vaguely thought that it took away some of her pain- just a smidgen. "You were my second love, the first was Marianne, and I've always held a place just for you right here." He tapped his shirt covered heart. "I guess you could say that I like you more than just a little bit." But not enough to chance losing their friendship and the ones connected to them.

Euphy's lips turned upward, even if it was only a slight movement of her lips. She felt… better. At least he didn't _not_ like her. Maybe… just maybe there was still hope. She couldn't think about that now while she was still upset and reeling from the initial rejection but she would think about it more later. He liked her, she liked him, and all that was needed was the approval of those closest to them.

She could do that.

But later.

For now, she wanted to be alone- she wanted to go to her room and bawl her eyes out because she'd still failed to lay claim to Suzaku's heart before she went abroad for college.

"Thank you… you were very gentle with me and I… thank you." She stood, her legs a little shaky but with Suzaku's help, she stood steadily on her feet. "I'm going now but I'd like my space."

"Euphy, I-"

She shook her head. "Please don't. You don't have to say anything else. I just… I want to be alone." Because she was one word away from breaking down where she stood and that wasn't what she wanted to do.

Suzaku watched her as she walked away, guilt pooled into the pit of his stomach as he did so. He ran a shaky hand through his thick hair and groaned. He couldn't believe he'd just turned down Euphemia Li Britannia, the third princess of the Holy Britannian Empire. There were men who would kill to have the chance to even speak with her and here she'd confessed to him, kissed him even, and he'd turned her down.

He felt like a jackass.

Staring at her anguished face… the image would forever be imprinted in his mind until he made it up to her. Suzaku never wanted to see her looking like that ever again. His heart and head hurt. If only they weren't who they were… but she would thank him later. With time, things would go back to the way they once were and she'd be happy. He knew that Euphy could do better than himself.

There were a lot of people in the world far better than he and she certainly deserved one of them.

"What were the two of you doing way out here?"

Suzaku looked up as Lelouch came into his line of vision. "You knew we were out here?"

Lelouch shrugged and took a seat beside his friend. "I saw Euphy and asked her if she'd seen you and why she'd been missing. She just said that you were out here with her talking before she excused herself." He frowned. "What did you do?"

"What did _I_ do?" Well… he had potentially broken her heart but it wasn't on purpose. "Nothing."

A slender dark eyebrow rose. "Nothing… Why did she look like…" Lelouch paused as the pieces clicked together. "Did she confess to you?" He'd had a suspicion as to how his sister felt about his best friend and vice versa.

He knew them both so very well after all.

Lelouch knew that Euphy turned up the charm and spunk whenever Suzaku was near. Whenever he wasn't, if the name Suzu or Suzaku were even brought up, she would become flustered and airy as if they were talking about her very own knight in shining armor. But the one thing that revealed her feelings more than any of her other actions was the look he'd catch in her gorgeous lilac irises whenever she would glance in Suzaku's direction. Yes… he knew of her feelings for Suzaku.

And despite the Japanese boy's jokes pertaining to the females of the royal family, he'd suspected that Suzaku felt the same. It wasn't hard to tell. He would stare at Euphy as if she were a precious doll that needed to be treated delicately. And he did treat her as though she were something precious, though he treated all women in general as though they were something precious. As if they were something to be cherished and cared for. Lelouch supposed that it was the nature of a Japanese man to view women in such a way. But there was a difference between the way Suzaku treated women and the way Suzaku treated Euphy. He was more open with her or rather, he was completely himself around her.

Though Lelouch hated to admit it, he could do so to himself- he didn't like the relationship that Suzaku had with his elder sister. He'd watched the boy date a plethora of women, they even discussed his sexual exploits, but to lump his sister in with the bunch… it was a different matter entirely. Suzaku never devoted a serious amount of time or passion to any of his previous relationships because there was no rush in his young life to buckle down but Euphy was always different than the others. They seemed very compatible and had gotten along so very well throughout the years but… what if things were to go wrong?

Lelouch would then have to relinquish such a friendship and he did not want to give up the only genuine friendship that he'd ever formed for the sake of his sister. Even if the two were to end up as a couple, Lelouch knew that he'd still be giving up the separate relationships that he held with them both.

Call him selfish, but he didn't like the idea of his sister knowing his best friend nearly as well as he did.

Their friends were supposed to be kept separate and, disregarding the fact that all of his siblings had, relatively, known Suzaku Kururugi as long as he had, Lelouch knew him the best. When they were all children and Suzaku had entered their lives, it'd been a war of sorts over who got to have the new "toy" because it was rare for them to have friends outside of each other. People were deceptive and they always wanted something from them whether it was to drop their names as a means to seem important or even to further themselves in society.

Suzaku hadn't wanted anything more than to genuinely befriend them all, even if he was an arrogant brat as a child.

And Lelouch was the first to meet him, thus, he'd laid claim to Suzaku and the boy would always be primarily his friend.

Suzaku was his best friend but Lelouch knew that, if Euphy and Suzaku were to progress their current relationship beyond that of friends, she would replace him. He would have to watch as his _sister_ became a better friend than he to his _best friend_ and that was simply illogical.

On the other hand, if things were to go wrong, he would have to hate the only friend he'd ever truly considered worthy of his time and that would be a tragedy. Friends like Suzaku were rare and hard to find out in the world. Not only that, they had twelve years worth of history between them and he couldn't simply build another friendship akin to the one that he had with Suzaku.

No… Lelouch didn't approve and he would tell them both so in his own way. He didn't want to come off as self-centered or stingy (but he was just that). He also didn't want to belittle their feelings but he was sure that it would be in their best interest to find other, more compatible, partners.

"I… I turned her down." Suzaku's voice barely rose above the wind but he was sure that Lelouch had heard him. "I feel like shit." And he wanted to go to her and say something, anything to make it better, but he felt that there was nothing that he could do beyond accepting and returning her feelings.

And Suzaku wasn't going to do either of those things.

"Oh…" That had certainly caught the young prince by surprise. He was sure that Suzaku would have leapt at the opportunity considering his own feelings towards Euphemia. "Why?"

Suzaku sighed for the umpteenth time that night as his emerald eyes met beautiful violet. "Don't get me wrong, I like Euphy and I felt really special when she said that she liked me but… there's this unspoken rule about friends and how they don't date each other's sisters, ya know." He smiled lopsidedly as a look crossed Lelouch's face.

It was a look that scarcely crossed those relatively composed features but Suzaku had seen it: Lelouch was surprised.

"I suppose you're right." Lelouch too allowed his lips to quirk upwards. He felt a bit relieved. "Or maybe you're just scared to face Schneizel's wrath?" Their elder brother truly was too overprotective.

Suzaku laughed, his gaze straying towards the direction of the palace. "He'll probably say something to me anyway because I hurt her feelings when I rejected her." He was damned if he did and damned when he didn't. There was no winning with the second prince, not unless you were Kanon or one of his siblings. It didn't keep Suzaku from hoping that he'd earn on a spot on Schneizel's good side one of these days.

Amethyst eyes narrowed. "If you weren't nice then you'll have more than Schneizel to worry about."

Tanned hands shot up in mock surrender. "Whoa now, I was nice, I swear." He'd been a total gentlemen when she confessed and when he had to regretfully turn her down. "She asked me if I liked her and I told her that I did- I still do- but I don't want to mess up anything. I mean, she's an amazing friend, she's beautiful, smart, outgoing, and anyone would be lucky to have her, me included, but what if I fucked it up. What then?" Suzaku ran a shaky hand through his hair. Thinking about such a thing and then saying it aloud… "I like being friends with her and that's something that I know I won't screw up." And he wouldn't have to worry about losing Lelouch either. It was that thought that made him personally feel better about his decision.

"Hmm…" Lelouch permitted silence to settle between them for a moment before he spoke up again. "I think that you did the right thing and I'm sure she'll be fine. Just give her some time." He leaned forward, his violet irises scrutinizing Suzaku's face. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit." The response was instant and truthful as it was voiced. Suzaku really did feel horrible because he'd never imagined that he would hurt someone so close to him but he had. And he couldn't fix it.

"Then let's go eat something. Food always makes you feel better… or you can go find someone to bring back to your bed. Sex has always had a way of perking up your mood." Lelouch could always tell when Suzaku had either just eaten a very well prepared meal or had just finished fucking. The boy's smile would stretch for miles and his face would set into this dazed, euphoric, expression that he would wear for a few long hours.

Suzaku was so very… very masculine when Lelouch thought about it. He was the prime example of a growing young man whose mood could be easily swayed by primal instincts such as the need to feed or procreate.

And dear god, Lelouch couldn't fathom seeing that expression on his friends face were he ever to date Euphemia.

It would scar him for the rest of his life to know that his sister was having… ew… just… no.

"I'm not really in the mood to fool around with some random noble man's daughter. But I could go for some food and a movie." Suzaku stood from the bench and stretched his long limbs. He'd been sitting for far too long and he felt rather stiff. "Let's ditch the rest of the party and go watch a movie in your room." What Lelouch didn't know was that the one thing that made him feel better, more than food or even sex, was being able to cast all of his worries aside as he sat with Lelouch.

He didn't have to conceal anything in front of the eleventh prince, he didn't have to pretend that things were fine when they weren't, he could talk or vent as he saw fit, and Lelouch would listen and respond without judging him or his intentions. Suzaku liked that small piece of freedom.

Lelouch nodded, not minding in the slightest that they were leaving the party fairly early. They'd been there for hours and it was well into the night, plus, he was getting tired. "You go pick a movie then and I'll bring up something to eat."

"You're letting me pick the movie? Man, you must be tired. Or are you taking pity on me?" Because Lelouch never let him pick out movies unless they were at his home or he was upset.

The young prince smirked. "I'm taking pity on you. Now go before I change my mind."

Disregarding his sister's pain, Lelouch couldn't fathom not being friends with someone like Suzaku and he was glad that he wouldn't have to make that choice.

* * *

**TBC**

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**A/N: **So, this story is a challenge to myself to drag out the loving for more than three chapters. In other words, I wanted there to be lots and lots of tension. Lets see how I do with that. Hope you all enjoyed and will return for the next chapter.

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**If you dug it, drop me a line****. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Who Think Too Much

**Disclaimer: **_Code Geass_ belongs to CLAMP, however, this plot belongs to me. I make no profit from this fiction.

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**Warning:**_ Language. Alternate Universe. Cheesy humor. Mentions of Sex._**  
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**Pairings: **Suzaku x Lelouch. All others that occur are either not important or short-lived.

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**JUST FRIENDS  
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_Chapter II__: Who_ _Think Too Much_

* * *

"You don't have a lot of shit?"

Suzaku paused in unpacking his last box as he glanced up at Gino. "And you have too much shit so I guess that means we balance each other out."

It was true. He never liked to have more than was necessary and whatever extras that he did keep, he stored at Lelouch's villa. He'd learned during freshmen year that, though he was relatively liked on account of his athletic prowess, Ashford had its fair share of bigots. The school consisted mainly of Britannians and the Britannians as a culture tended to have a superiority complex wherein they felt all other cultures were far beneath them.

He could see how they would come to think that. Britannia had several nations under its hold and some of them had even been taken by force. Japan might have been one of them had his mother and Lelouch's not gotten along so well.

Women… they had a way of swaying the pride of men.

Nevertheless, Suzaku had learned during his freshmen year that there were many who felt strongly against his attendance at Ashford. And they'd shown such disproval in the form of destroying his room, his locker, or anything else that they could get their hands on time and again. His very first roommate at Ashford had even aided in such despicable behavior and he remembered staying with Lelouch until he'd been moved into a single. Not only were the students prejudice, some of the staff were as well, and whenever he was harassed they would turn a blind eye.

He felt sorry for them, all of them and their narrowed view of the world.

Since he pitied them so, he never took their maltreatment to heart, at least not after the shock of the first time he'd returned to a destroyed room. Suzaku was capable of ignoring them and turning the other cheek because he knew that that bothered them far more than him actually saying or doing anything. Besides, if he really wanted to kick their asses, he could easily do so. He'd been in martial arts his whole life but such a strength… it just wouldn't be fair. So he would continue to ignore their taunts, their goading, and their hate slurs because, at the end of the day, those who liked him outnumbered those who didn't and he knew his worth.

Most of the time.

"Where should I put the TV? Do you want it by our desk or hung on the wall across from the couch?" Gino glanced around the room and then down at the large television leaning against his bed.

Suzaku shrugged. "Wherever you want it is fine."

It was Gino's TV after all. In fact, nearly everything in the room sans the customary bed, desk, and kitchen appliances were Gino's. The couch and chairs, the small kitchen appliances and dish ware, the bathroom rugs, the electronics… it was all Gino's. The only thing he'd brought to the room were his clothes, cleaning supplies, and bed linen.

And now he felt bad because he wasn't contributing much.

Gino sighed, a hand tangling in his blond nest of hair as he sat on Suzaku's bed. "Look, I've known you for how long now? Almost four years?"

Suzaku nodded. They became friends through sports and he could say that Gino was one of his really good friends there at Ashford.

"Right… And of all of those years you've always been like this and it pisses me off."

The brunet stared on curiously. "Like what?"

"So modest. And sometimes you even act like we're not equals, like me and all of the other bastards here are better than you. It bugs the shit out of me." Blue eyes narrowed as Gino thought about his words further.

Suzaku was far too passive and permissive when it came to how the other residents of Ashford Academy treated him and acted towards him. Gino didn't like it. He went out of his way to say so whenever he had the chance, and he couldn't understand how such a thing didn't get under Suzaku's skin. Then again, whenever Suzaku was victimized he never showed more than a displeased frown and even that was rare. And he had all the right in the world to be upset when his shit turned up missing or vandalized or someone harassed him. But no, Suzaku took everything with a grain a salt.

It was no wonder that people weren't getting the hint to stop, despite Gino and everyone else's best efforts. None of them understood why Suzaku was so flippant whenever people slurred his name or butchered his belongs and it was infuriating.

Still, Gino could admit that that was one of the reasons why he liked Suzaku. The boy was patient and had the heart of a saint. He was a nice guy over all but really, there had to be a point when Suzaku would decide that enough was enough.

Gino's eyes shot up to stare at Suzaku as he heard the rich sound of laughter floating from the brunet's mouth. "What? What's so funny?"

"You… you sound just like Lelouch." His laughter slowly died as he leaned against the closet, his deep green eyes meeting azure. "But, as I've told him, this is just who I am and I don't like conflict. Any reaction that I give, whether positive or negative, would only encourage them so I'd rather do nothing." With his next thought, he smirked. "As for modesty… well… it all depends on the topic." He didn't like to brag about what he did or didn't have but there were some things that provoked the arrogance from his childhood and forced it to climb its way back into his personality.

"Whatever. I just want to tell you this: we're sharing a room so, whatever is mine, consider it yours as well. That goes for food, soap, the TV, the microwave, whatever. We're in this together for a year and I trust you with all of my shit and you should feel honored. I don't just go around trusting anyone." A grin blossomed on Gino's handsome face as he stood and ruffled Suzaku's hair.

Suzaku batted Gino's hand away and smiled. "Thanks. And, um, I know that I don't have much but, of the things that I do have, you're welcomed to them." It felt nice to hear that he was trusted.

And it was in that instant that Suzaku knew he'd made the right choice in accepting to share a room with Gino.

"Sweet! Should we lay down some ground rules then?"

Suzaku shrugged. "What kind of rules?" He could only think of one off of the top of his head.

"Well, I think we should take turns buying groceries every week. We can come up with the list together and then one of us can go buy shit."

"Sounds fair." He didn't mind buying groceries… "But I eat a lot and it's not just after a game or a meet."

Gino smiled. "So do I."

That was good to know, Suzaku thought. They'd be spending a lot of money on food. "I don't like mess… I mean, I just can't function in a messy space so maybe we can take turns keeping things around here clean."

There wasn't much compared to a real apartment. The bathroom was merely a toilet and a sink because every floor had its own grand shower room. The kitchen had a fridge, a sink, an oven and small stove, as well as very limited counter space. The main room away from the kitchen and bathroom held two full sized beds, two desk, two closets, and then the nice little living room set that Gino had and it was in the far corner of the room near their door. Between the two of them, it wouldn't be so hard to keep the place clean.

"Dude, I thought I would be the one to say something about that."

"I'm glad then. Last year when I shared with Rivalz…" He'd hated it so much but he could still say that he at least liked Rivalz. And that had to mean something.

Gino laughed. "I remember. His half of the room was a total sty."

Suzaku grimaced at the memory. "Well, I'm just glad that I won't have to worry about that. Is there anything that I _should_ worry about?" Because everything was just sounding far too good to be true.

"Let me think… I guess it would be the fact that I tend to have sex in my room but we could have some kind of warning code or something." He shrugged. He didn't care if Suzaku were there or not so long as he got laid but that wasn't everyone's cup of tea.

"Oh…" Suzaku hadn't even thought of that. "How about a sock on the door handle?"

Gino nodded. "That'll work." He was already enjoying Suzaku as his flat mate.

There was a knock on the door before it was pushed open without a reply from the owners of the room. Kallen stood in the doorway with Lelouch and Shirley behind her. She walked into the room like she owned it before plopping down on the sofa. "Why is your room so much bigger than mine?"

"And it's so nice too!" Shirley added happily.

"Maybe it's because you were placed in Dorm Building C. Then again, The A dorms are notorious for their size." Lelouch walked into the room as well and took a seat on the bed that he knew belonged to Suzaku. "Sorry for just walking in but she's as impatient as ever."

"I see that…" It was mumbled under Gino's breath but he knew that Kallen had still heard him.

"It's alright. I was expecting one of you to show up at some point." Suzaku smiled as he shut his closet. "Did you guys finish moving in already?"

Shirley nodded. "Mhm. We were on our way to find you guys when we bumped into Lulu and since he was on his way over here, we came too!" Her voice was soft, bright, and peppy just as it always was whenever she tended to say Lelouch's name or a variation of it.

Kallen scoffed as she sat up. "I just want to eat. Can we go to the cafe now?" She'd been promised food in exchange for walking around aimlessly and she'd be damned if she was deprived any longer.

Gino nodded in agreement. He was hungry after moving all of his things into the room, even with Suzaku's help. "I agree, let's go eat something."

"You guys go ahead and I'll meet you down there. I just have to do something really quick." Suzaku smiled and cast a glance at his cellphone.

"Then we'll see you." Everyone trailed out of the room with chatter of the starting school year following them.

Everyone except for Lelouch.

Jade eyes met violet. "What are you still doing here?" Not that Suzaku cared if Lelouch stayed. He was only making a call to his mother and the two would probably want to talk.

Lelouch heaved a sigh as he lay back on the bed, his head hitting a misplaced pillow. "Shirley is, bless her darling heart, a chatterbox. I needed a break from her incessant talking and this was the nicest way for me to do that." The bed shifted beneath him as Suzaku sat down.

"I think she's just happy to be back by your side. We didn't get to see her much this summer what with her backpacking through Europe." The brunet smiled as he picked up his phone from the nightstand.

"Yes… I suppose." Amethyst eyes gazed up at the ceiling. "What was so important that you had to stay behind?"

"My mom. She wanted me to call her once I was settled in."

Lelouch snorted. "Always the good son."

"Shut it. Your mom was here to help you, I know because she covertly came to see me before she left."

Ivory cheeks turned scarlet and pink lips pursed. "Quiet you."

Suzaku laughed and stared at his phone, waiting for his mother's gorgeous face to pop up.

"_Suzu! Mommy misses you already!_"

Lelouch turned his head to laugh but stopped when he heard his name.

"_You too Lulu!_"

Suzaku smiled as he maneuvered on the bed so that his mother could see both he and Lelouch. "I miss you too mom."

Lelouch sported a crooked grin as he stared into the small monitor of the phone. "Konnichiwa haha!"

Emerald eyes rolled towards the heavens before they glanced at the monitor. "Really Lelouch?"

Suzaku would never tell the prince, but he actually enjoyed hearing him speak in his native tongue. So many people in the world simply spoke Britannian because the Holy Empire was a powerhouse that had far too many nations beneath its thumb. Though Japan was ruled by his father, Britannian influence had infiltrated it and it was becoming harder and harder to find those who still maintained the traditional values and culture of Japan. Yes, Suzaku enjoyed it very much that Lelouch had taken the time to thoroughly learn all that he could about the Japanese in hopes of getting to know he and his family better.

"_Don't look that way Suzu. You should be happy that you have a friend who even bothered to learn Japanese._" His mother tsked before her gaze strayed to the prince and she smiled. "_And you're as flawless and fluent as ever Lulu._"

"Arigato Haha." Lelouch tossed Suzaku a cheeky grin but it fell the instant he was pushed to the floor.

"I would be grateful if he wasn't such a show off." He moved the monitor to stick his tongue out at the boy sprawled on the floor.

Keiko's smile was ever present, even as she admonished Suzaku for being childish. "_Do you remember when he first started to learn Japanese and how happy you were? Or how you teased him by speaking in only fluent Japanese whenever he was around? Oh…_" She sighed forlornly "_Those were the days._"

"And yet your son is still as bratty as ever." Lelouch glared at the boy as he climbed back onto the bed. Suzaku would pay for pushing him later.

"But it doesn't even compare to how pompous you are."

"I'm no such thing."

"_Boys!_" The brunette giggled into her hand. "_Marianne said that you've both settled into your rooms._"

"Yep. I think I'll like sharing a room with Gino, he's not messy." And he would thank the stars above for that tiny blessing.

"_That's good to know. How is Nunnally doing?_"

Lelouch moved closer to Suzaku so that he could stare at Keiko in the monitor. "Between mapping out her class route and moving back into the villa, she was a bit overwhelmed so she's resting now. But I think she's excited to start her second year."

"_I see. Kiss her for me when she wakes up._"

"Will do."

Keiko's olive green eyes glanced between the two. "_Well, I won't keep my two favorite boys any longer._"

Lelouch smiled at that. "Two favorites… Can I tell Schneizel and Clovis that I'm your favorite?" Oh how he would find joy in doing that.

Schneizel's first love was Keiko Kururugi and though he would never openly admit it, it was the truth. He still adored her, even in his older age. Lelouch knew this because he'd read the man's journal. As for Clovis, he was enamored with Suzaku's mother because the woman was an artist, like himself, and she was highly skilled. He gained inspiration from her and would travel to Japan several times throughout the year for the sole purpose of having an art session with the woman. Lelouch would enjoy bursting their bubble of high value once he told them that he was the favorite, childish or not.

"_No, don't do that!_" Keiko smiled fondly. "_I love you boys, behave yourselves._"

"Love you mom."

"Suki da Haha."

She waved one last time before the monitor went black.

Suzaku sighed as he stood up and helped Lelouch to his feet. "Let's go eat now. I'm starving."

A scoff fell from Lelouch's mouth. "When aren't you hungry."

"Hmm… you have a point."

* * *

"So… where were you two?" Cee-Cee, along with the rest of the table, stared curiously at Suzaku and Lelouch as they sat down with a tray of food between them.

"In my room." Suzaku thought that they would have been privy to that information considering Kallen, Gino, and Shirley had been in there too.

Violet eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?" He knew that that question wasn't an innocent one because Cee-Cee never asked _innocent _questions. He also knew what she was insinuating and-

Cee-Cee leered as she leaned on the table, her head resting in her palm. "Well, you two were gone for an awfully long time. Long enough to have a quickie before dinner."

Shirley gasped, her face turning beet red as she stared wide eyed at the girl who always dared to say such things as if they were true. Kallen snorted before she returned to eating her dinner. Rivalz choked on his soda and was coughing furiously as Milly pat his back, a devious smile on her face. Anya continued to silently eat her food as she ignored Gino's wily grin.

Suzaku glanced at Lelouch, brown eyebrow raised curiously before he smiled and slung an arm around Lelouch's shoulder. "I don't kiss and tell." He winked and nuzzled a stunned Lelouch's neck before he turned back to his food.

He was used to Cee-Cee's cracks when it concerned his and Lelouch's relationship… well, she and Milly's. He was secure enough with who he was that he didn't care what they thought about his friendship with Lelouch or their jokes about their peculiar relationship. Personally, Suzaku didn't see anything odd about the way he and Lelouch interacted but that was just him. He was biased, as was Lelouch, so their opinions were negated by that fact alone.

Still, it was funny to think about how it had all started.

It was at the end of their freshmen year and the student council was having a picnic. Lelouch wouldn't try the meat and veggie skewers that Shirley had made because he was picky and impartial to vegetables. Suzaku had taken it upon himself to feed the veggies to Lelouch because he knew how to get the boy to eat all of the foods that he didn't like or want to try. After all, he'd had the task of introducing the foods from his culture to Lelouch when he was a child and he'd worked out a system. So long as he fed Lelouch from his own fork (because it showed that he'd tried it and was fine) then Lelouch would eat.

And Cee-Cee had run with the idea of their relationship being more than it seemed ever since.

Even though Suzaku was known amongst them for being somewhat of a womanizer and even though it was assumed that Lelouch had a harem, Cee-Cee and Milly liked to believe that things were much more than they seemed to be.

At first, Suzaku had denied it and had even been embarrassed by such an implication but that had only helped to further the jokes at their expense. Now, however, Suzaku liked to tease them back as opposed to Lelouch who bit them with his scathing sarcasm.

"Are you going through a dry spell witch?" Lelouch glared at the girl seated across from him. Always with the jokes… and if it wasn't her, it was Milly.

Cee-Cee shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess I can't say the same for you."

And the young prince knew that he'd set himself up for that.

"Now, now, children. Cease your naughty bickering before Rivalz chokes to death or Shirley faints." Milly would be nice for the time being but only because it was their first time back together as a large group and she wanted the remainder of the night to be pleasant. Once Lelouch was in a bad mood, it took more time than she had in her to coax him out of it. "Tomorrow we'll have our first student council meeting of the year so come prepared."

Everyone, with the exception of Shirley and Rivalz, groaned at the warning… er, news. Student council was nearly equivalent to torture on account of Milly's whims that led them to do the strangest things. Mainly at Lelouch's expense. Then again, there were many memorable events that had taken place (at_ Lelouch's expense_), which had been far more entertaining than not.

"And Nina will be there too!" Shirley clapped ecstatically.

Milly nodded. "Yes. Then we'll plan the welcoming ceremony for freshmen and new students. That'll take place this Friday so we'll have to hustle." Another round of groans followed that statement. "It'll be fun, I promise."

Of course it would be… it always was.

So to speak.

* * *

Lelouch stretched before he resumed glaring at the woman lying on his bed as if it were hers. He left his room for no longer than five minutes and returned to, well, that. His emotions waged war as he contemplated kicking Cee-Cee out or simply enjoying her company. Really, he could do either at the moment.

"Do you remember when I popped your virginal cherry on this very bed?"

Perhaps it'd be in his best interest to kick her out.

Golden eyes twinkled in amusement. "But it wasn't the last time that we tussled beneath these sheets."

Yes, he would definitely kick her out. "Why are you here?"

Cee-Cee feigned hurt and rolled onto her back, her shirt riding up and her breast straining against their confines. "I've missed you Lulu."

He scoffed and decided it'd be safest to take a seat at his desk. "I saw you nearly half as much as I saw Suzaku this summer and that says a lot." He spent a majority of his time with Suzaku during all of his breaks from school but it was only natural. They'd been doing so since they were five.

"Suzaku, Suzaku, Suzaku… he's not your only friend you know and he can't do for you what I can. Unless of course, you want him to." A wicked smile bloomed on her face as she rolled onto her stomach. She wouldn't oppose it if he did, in fact, she'd be interested in watching.

A midnight black eyebrow rose. "Jealous much?" He smirked as he stared at her. "Nonetheless, if you wanted to talk about Suzaku then you should've gone to his room."

"Where would the fun in that be, hmm." Pink lips pursed as Cee-Cee's gaze met the prince's. "I'm bored Lulu, so are you going to play with me or not?"

To play or not to play… he weighed the pros and cons. It was midnight and they had class in the morning but he supposed that that didn't matter. He tended to sleep through his classes as it was and he was never unprepared. Cee-Cee was already there and tempting him… but she was no longer a temptation. He'd had meaningless sex with her far too many times for it to be considered exciting anymore. And if they did have sex, she would insist upon sleeping in his room, on his bed, and- and cuddling. The thought was nearly enough to contort his face in revulsion. Cuddling was his least favorite aspect of the entire ordeal…

"Another time." He was in no mood to entertain Cee-Cee, not that night.

"You're no fun. I don't understand your libido at all. Do you know how many-"

"Hold that thought." Lelouch walked over to his cellphone and answered it. "What is it Suzaku?" He stared at the cheery face in the monitor blankly.

"_Did I wake you up?_" Because Suzaku would truly feel bad if he had roused the boy from his sleep.

Lelouch shook his head and reseated himself at his desk. "No, I was just glancing over the reading material for the week."

"_Oh! Well… that's kind of what I called you about._" Suzaku smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "_Can we share your history book tomorrow?_"

"How could you forget to buy your books… again?" Lelouch frowned as he mentally berated himself. He'd meant to remind Suzaku but… well… Cee-Cee had distracted him on the day he'd intended to do that.

"_I know, I know. I'll get them tomorrow after the student council meeting- er- after my meeting with the swim team. You want to come with me?_"

Lelouch nodded. "Sure. You can get me lunch."

"_What? Why do I have to buy lunch?_

"Because you owe me."

"_You two sound like a fucking married couple._"

Suzaku laughed and turned his head to glance at Kallen. "_Are you jealous because you're not seeing anyone right now?_"

"_Except for me._" Gino perched his chin on Suzaku's shoulder to wave at Lelouch.

"_Except for you my ass. We are _not_ seeing each other so ignore him._" Violet eyes could just barely make out Kallen lying atop Suzaku's neatly made bed.

Gino grinned before he disappeared from in front of the monitor but he could still be heard. "_But you know you want to._"

"_Not a chance. Besides, if I felt the need to date I'd go look for a girl._"

Suzaku (along with Lelouch and Cee-Cee on the other line) laughed and it caused the monitor to shake. "_Ouch on both of our parts._" His grin was wide as he turned to stare at Kallen. "_I didn't think I was that bad._"

"_Trust me, you're far from shit in the sack Suzaku._" Without even seeing the redhead, Lelouch could see the look on her face.

"_Wow! Good for you Suzaku!_" Gino's booming voice rattled the connection.

Suzaku smiled and shrugged before he turned back to Lelouch. "_Sorry Lelouch. I'll bring you out to eat tomorrow after we get the books alright. Kiss Nunnally for me and I'll see you later._"

"Yea, later." Lelouch let the line go dead but he stared at the monitor for a moment longer before he sat it down.

His stomach had knotted uncomfortably as he shifted in his seat. Was he sick? Had he eaten something wrong? He did have that glass of milk prior to returning to his room and milk did not sit well with him at night… that had to be it.

"And the conversation was just getting interesting too." Cee-Cee sighed and rolled onto her back. "Had I known that Suzaku worked wonders in bed, I would've gone there… or to visit Kallen since she seems to share my taste." Golden eyes watched carefully for a reaction from the boy, any one would do.

Lelouch sneered as he stood from the desk and began to shed his clothes. He was tired. "You and Suzaku hardly know one another, let alone like each other." It'd been dislike at first sight but there was nothing that Lelouch could do about it. He'd tried but his best friend and his dear friend Cee-Cee were simply not companionable. He thanked the heavens that they didn't vocalize their disdain for one another to each other.

Cee-Cee smirked as she tilted her head to watch the prince undress. "Hate sex is the best sex." She loved how Lelouch had only picked up on one part of her previous statement and it was the part that had mentioned Suzaku.

Very interesting indeed.

It was almost as fun as watching him talk to the boy on the phone. She was always able to see an array of emotions displayed on Lelouch's generally stoic or condescending features whenever he spoke to those that he truly held important to him. Suzaku being near the top of that list. Or so she'd assumed after three years of careful observation.

"You sound desperate now. Perhaps I will indulge you in your whims." Because he was suddenly in the mood to play and glad that Cee-Cee hadn't left as he'd told her to.

She smiled. "I knew you'd come around eventually." And even though she had a feeling that Suzaku was to thank for Lelouch's sudden change in mood, she wouldn't mention it.

* * *

"How long have you been into girls?" Suzaku was curious because he didn't remember Kallen ever mentioning that she was… well… that way.

Not that he had a problem with it. The thought of her with another girl entered his mind along with the thought of him being in the center but-

"Forever." Kallen rolled onto her back and lazily wrapped her arm around Suzaku's waist. "I like relationships with women more than I like them with guys. It's nothing new but it's also not something that I broadcast everywhere."

Suzaku frowned as he craned his neck to stare at her. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" He'd thought that they were relatively close. After all, Kallen was the first girl that he'd ever slept with and she was the only girl that he regularly had sex with despite there being no romantic feelings involved.

Kallen sighed and sat up on her elbows. "You never asked and it's not really a big deal. Or is it? Do you think there's something wrong with me now that you do know?" She was really curious.

She'd known Suzaku for nearly six years now and she never knew the boy to be judgmental but people changed with that type of news. When it came to religion, politics, sexuality, and social standing, people could flip on you in an instant once they knew your position on any one of those matters. She hoped that Suzaku wasn't one of them, she'd be saddened if he was. Then again, guys seemed to like the idea of two girls together so maybe…

"Why would I think that there's something wrong with you?" He smiled easily as he shifted in the bed so that he could see her better. "You can't help who you like any more than I can so why would it be a problem?"

Kallen's lips quirked upwards as she flung her other arm around Suzaku and buried her face into the small of his back. "Thanks Suzaku."

His words had made her feel better about herself, about her choices, because she knew that her preferences weren't explicitly accepted out in the world. But, so long as those closest to her didn't mind, then she felt all the stronger. A weight had lifted from her shoulders and she was glad to have her sexual orientation out in the open amongst her closest friends.

"What'd I miss?" Gino shut the door behind him and tossed the two their sodas before he took a seat on his bed.

Kallen shrugged and sat up. "I told Suzaku that I was serious when I said that I was into girls. He's okay with it." Brown irises eyed the blond expectantly.

"He is, is he…" Gino glanced away from Kallen to stare at Suzaku who was happily drinking his Pepsi. "You don't see anything wrong with it at all?"

Suzaku crushed his empty can and easily tossed it into the trash. "No. I don't understand it but I don't see anything wrong with it." For example, he didn't get how two girls could… how they had… well… they didn't have a penis but they had breast but… "Can I ask how it works or is that one of those questions that just shouldn't be asked?"

"It's fine. What d'ya wanna know? How sex works or the relationship?"

"Er… both?"

Kallen laughed. "Sex is the same-ish only, women are softer than guys and they listen better. They like to talk about shit and they know what they want so, because we have similar bodies, it's not hard to guess where a touch feels good." She smiled as both boys flushed a little. "But there are down sides. Like, since it's another woman, I have to worry about another set of emotions as strong as mine and then PMS is a bitch. And sometimes I want to be a little roughed up, which is where a man would suit me too. I guess you could say that I'm versatile and it's usually the personality that keeps me."

Green eyes were wide as they studied the wall before Suzaku stared at Kallen. "Um… thanks for, uh, sharing I guess." He didn't know that there was so much that went into her sexual preferences but he was glad that he'd asked. Had he not, the curiosity would've eaten him alive.

"You sound so surprised." Her gaze again shot towards Gino before she grinned. "You've never thought about being with another guy? Not even once?"

Chocolate tresses swayed as Suzaku shook his head. "No… I mean, I don't even know how that would work." How would two men… Oh… Oh! Wouldn't that hurt? And they lacked certain things and had additional parts… He'd been confessed to by a handful of guys in his time but he hadn't thought much of it beyond an apology because he didn't feel the same.

Hell, he hadn't even taken them seriously.

He probably should have now that he thought about it.

And now he felt like an ass for taking those confessions so lightly.

"It works." Gino smirked to himself as he thought about the mechanics of coupling with another man. Sex was sex to him and he didn't care whether it was a male or female so long as they had a hole and a mouth.

Jade irises widened further as Suzaku turned to stare at Gino. "You've… with another guy?" He couldn't imagine Gino with another guy, not when the guy had women who flocked to him like he was the air that they needed to breathe.

Gino nodded slowly as he stared at the stunned boy. This wasn't the way he'd planned on telling Suzaku but Kallen was ever persistent. Well, it couldn't be helped now. "Yea. It's not really that different from being with a chick." And he could only say that because he didn't do relationships. Those were troublesome and tedious, plus, his parents had his future wife picked out for him so he wanted to have all the fun that he could before it wasn't an option anymore.

"How so?" Because now Suzaku was far too curious to cease their current conversation.

It was one thing to discover that Kallen's sexuality was boundless but Gino too… Suzaku didn't care who either of them slept with, he really didn't, but that thought didn't make everything any less shocking. He would have never guessed, never even assumed, that the two played both sides of the field. And yet, here they were saying that that was exactly what they did. It was mind boggling and brought about so many questions that Suzaku wanted answers to.

If they were willing of course.

Suzaku didn't want to further embarrass himself or make them feel uncomfortable. He didn't want them to feel ashamed either because he wasn't out to make them regret telling him anything. He didn't think that who they chose to sleep with was wrong or disgusting, he simply didn't understand. And he wanted to if only to know them better.

Azure eyes studied Suzaku. The brunet looked confused and his curiosity was genuine but he didn't seem grossed out by them or anything that they'd said. Mentally, Gino thanked the stars above for his luck. Girls experimenting with the same sex was something that society, for the most part, deemed acceptable but let a guy say that he'd had the slightest sexual thought about another male and he'd be crucified. The world was a cruel place but it didn't seem like Suzaku carried any of that cruelty with him.

A sigh fell from his mouth as he gazed at Suzaku. "If you're the one putting in all of the work, then you'll know that fucking another guy is, essentially, the same as it is with a girl. Of course, there's the fact that they don't have tits and they have a little extra junk swinging between their thighs but it's really no different than your own. Plus, they're just as physically sensitive as a girl and like Kallen said, because you're both guys, it's not hard to figure out what does and doesn't feel good." Gino smiled as he caught the look on the Japanese boy's face.

Suzaku's face was blazing –his once tanned skin was dyed a handsome shade of red and his wide emerald eyes were swimming with interest. Gino had answered his question in full and really, if he didn't want to know then he shouldn't have asked. Still, he hadn't expected them to be so forthcoming about the whole thing. It showed how much trust they'd placed in him and he felt privileged… It was an odd thing. Personally, Suzaku had never thought about homosexuality beyond the teasing of their friends when it came to his relationship with Lelouch. And now he'd been given a crash course on the subject.

He didn't feel disgusted or repulsed by his friends like he knew that many in his situation would… no, he felt closer to them.

They'd taken a leap of faith in sharing something so personal with him and Suzaku felt overwhelmingly happy. It was the same feeling he had whenever Lelouch confided in him because the young prince was generally so closed off that, whenever he spoke about his feelings or passions it was an honor and Suzaku enjoyed listening. Yes… he felt immensely closer to the two and if ever he had anything that he needed to talk about, he wouldn't mind turning to them as well.

Lithe arms wrapped around Suzaku as Kallen laid her chin on his shoulder. "Can you still say that you like us now?"

"Of course!" Was Suzaku's immediate reply as he stared across the room at Gino. "Whether you're a guy or a girl, I don't think that you can help who you are and aren't attracted to. I mean, if you could, it'd probably be easier to just stick to the norm, right?" He chuckled nervously. "Anyway, I don't think any differently about either of you."

Kallen grinned as she released Suzaku to take a seat beside Gino. "Even if I told you that Gino thinks you're sexy?"

Cobalt eyes widened before narrowing into a glare. "What?" He'd told her that in confidence. _Confidence_!

Suzaku laughed as he laid down on his bed. "Who doesn't think I'm sexy?" It was funny how it didn't bother him to know that his roommate (as well as his good friend) thought he was hot.

He'd take a compliment where he could get one.

"It's true. When I'd figured out that you were some kind of queer it was because of the way you were staring at Suzaku." Kallen sat beside Gino and elbowed him in the ribs before grinning at Suzaku. "And look here, he doesn't even care. Are you secretly into cock Suzaku?"

He laughed and glanced up at the ceiling. He'd never thought about the option before, he'd never even questioned his sexuality. There was no need to. His parents, Marianne and Charles, even in the media, the couples portrayed never deviated from the heterosexual norm, so why would he ever think differently. Suzaku hadn't even known that there were different options… until now. Could he see himself with another guy? He wasn't sure. And that uncertainty was answer enough for him. If he wasn't immediately opposed to the idea then surely there was room to see if he was for it. It wouldn't do him any harm to explore.

Of course, Suzaku didn't intend to go out of his way to find a guy but if another boy decided to confess to him, maybe he'd take the guy up on his offer. Or even if one stumbled along that he found an interest in… the boy would have to be cute… and small enough for him to barely notice that he was making a change but he'd give it a try.

"I don't know." His answer was sincere and honest as his jade eyes stayed glued to the white ceiling in thought.

Kallen and Gino shared a look before the two slowly smiled.

It looked like another one would be joining their ranks.

* * *

**TBC**

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**A/N: **Chapter two gets more into the spirit of things and gives a nice glimpse of what I have in mind. Hope you all enjoyed and will return for the next chapter.

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**If you dug it, drop me a line****. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Who Know Each Other So Well

**Warning:**_ Language. Alternate Universe. Cheesy humor. Mentions of Sex._**  
**

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**Pairings: **Suzaku x Lelouch. All others that occur are either not important or short-lived.

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**JUST FRIENDS  
**

_III__: Who_ _Know Each Other So Well_

* * *

"You've used my books for the last two weeks Suzaku. Two. I thought you were going to buy your _own_?" Stormy violet eyes glared at the brunet smiling sheepishly.

"About that… Between the student council, swim team, and homework, I've been too busy and too tired to do anything else. But that's why I'm here today. We can go get my books and I'll take you out to dinner. What d'ya say?" Suzaku shifted from leg to leg as he stared at Lelouch with pleading olive green irises.

It was a gorgeous Sunday morning and the first day since the school year began that he and Suzaku would be able to hang out- just the two of them. Lelouch did miss the freedom that spending quality time with his best friend brought him. It also felt odd that there'd been a hiatus in the time they spent together after being around one another every day throughout the summer…

"Fine, but you're paying." Lelouch grabbed his jacket from the rack beside the door before he stepped outside.

Suzaku's smile was that of a winner. "I know, I know." His smile was ever present as he walked beside Lelouch, the wind rustling their hair.

The last two weeks had been hectic and he was glad to finally have a break. He didn't know that being captain of the swim team would require so much work and paring that with Milly's student council whims… he was lucky if he had enough time to do his homework. Suzaku ran a hand through his thick brown hair as he glanced at Lelouch from the corner of his eye. It was nice to enjoy the boy's company within a group setting but he did enjoy the time that they had to themselves. Lelouch wasn't guarded around him nor did he have to force himself to enjoy things that he really didn't.

Suzaku liked Lelouch Lamperouge, vice president of the student council, modest genius, and sweet talker but he liked Lelouch Vi Britannia far more. The prince was more entertaining than the common noble who sought to dissuade everyone from his true identity.

"Do you want to hear something funny?"

Suzaku glanced at Lelouch's amused face. "What's that?"

"Cee-Cee thinks that it'd be a good idea to have hate sex with you." He chuckled at the look on Suzaku's face.

"God no… and for so many reasons." Why she would even consider such a thing was besides Suzaku. On the other hand, he'd delved into the realms of angry sex before and it was good- really good. But with Cee-Cee… Never.

Apart from the fact that she was Lelouch's on-again/off-again fling, his personality clashed with hers entirely. She was too blunt, too outspoken, and she didn't know when enough was enough. Suzaku had attempted (in the beginning) to break bread with her because she was one of few people who seemed to understand and accept Lelouch for all that he was. But her personality was, in his opinion, atrocious. Cee-Cee flaunted her beauty and was in no way modest. Not only that, her sarcasm, intellect, and wit were on par with Lelouch's and that was something that she tended to turn against Suzaku.

Apparently, it brought her great amusement whenever she attempted to figure out why Lelouch was friends with someone such as Suzaku seeing as they were so different. But Suzaku didn't need to hear that from her. He'd wondered such a thing since he was old enough to see that there were glaring differences in their personalities. He would attempt to comfort himself with the thought that opposites attracted, like protons and electrons, but that could only work for so long. And when it stopped working, he would start to think that Lelouch and he were only friends out of the comfort and familiarity that had engrained itself into their everyday lives because he could find no other reason in his mind.

Was that really the only reason that they were still friends? Because they were _comfortable_ with each other?

God… Suzaku hoped not.

But there was a strong possibility…

He damned Cee-Cee for not being there and still having the ability to make him insecure about where he stood in regards to his friendship with Lelouch.

"She was serious you know."

Green eyes darted to the right to stare at Lelouch. "What?"

"Cee-Cee was serious about copulating with you. She's twisted like that, although, I think she's since set her sights on Kallen." Something about that made the eleventh prince feel relieved.

Better Kallen than Suzaku… at least then he wouldn't have to worry about the awkwardness that would potentially follow such a strange pairing. Not that Cee-Cee had a chance. Suzaku really didn't like her, which he'd always found amusing considering the girl was almost exactly like a Lelouch doppelganger only more forthright so to speak. And she did enjoy thoroughly provoking his best friend whenever she thought that Lelouch wasn't around to admonish her. She didn't particularly like Suzaku either because she thought him too simple. Lelouch would easily disagree but not many knew about the deeper side to the boy and it was their loss. Nevertheless, he was glad that his friend was opposed to the idea.

It spared him the worry and the sharing of a sexual partner, which was disturbing in it of itself.

Suzaku grinned as he allowed his mind to wander away from its negative train of thought. "Kallen? How does she even know about Kallen's interest?" He hadn't slipped up and say anything, had he?

"She was in my room when you called me a few weeks ago and she heard your conversation." He didn't think it a big deal that she knew considering she wanted the girl.

"I see. I think she'd be Kallen's type."

Suffice to say, the girl was aggressive and sensual, which were things that Kallen had mentioned liking in a potential girlfriend.

A slender dark brow rose as Lelouch stared at Suzaku curiously. "Really? How would _you_ know?"

"Remember how I came to class the next morning and I was barely alive? Well, it was because the three of us had stayed up talking until it was time to get ready for class. I learned a lot." Suzaku smiled as he thought about that night and the ones that followed it. He'd gotten to know so much about those two as well as himself… and he wanted to share it all with his best friend. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that."

Lelouch hummed in acknowledgement but said nothing else. He didn't know what to say. Suzaku was bonding with Gino, as he should because they were roommates. It seemed that he was also spending a lot of his time with Kallen, which made sense because Kallen was much like his Cee-Cee. Knowing all of that, Lelouch didn't understand why he was so bothered. Perhaps he simply didn't like the idea of his friendship with Suzaku being threatened and those two posed a great threat.

Unlike himself, they had a lot in common with Suzaku, personality wise, and he didn't know how he'd be able to compete with that. Now it seemed as though they had secrets and inside jokes amongst each other that he wasn't privy to. It was like, little by little throughout their high school years, Suzaku was drawing further away and Lelouch didn't like it.

Not in the least.

Suzaku was his friend first. The boy knew his ups, downs, and mellows better than anyone else, his siblings included. And Lelouch would like to think that he knew Suzaku just as well. Maybe he was being selfish but Suzaku had been his first friend outside of his brothers and sisters and Lelouch didn't want to lose that.

He didn't want to be replaced.

He wouldn't let himself be replaced as Suzaku Kururugi's _best friend_.

And he would kick Suzaku's ass if the boy ever attempted to do such a thing.

"We're gonna eat first because I know that shopping for books really means shopping in general when it comes to you." Suzaku smiled as he held the door open for Lelouch.

Despite his rather pessimistic train of thought, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. "You think you know me so well." There was something so very reassuring about that thought.

"I do. I'm one of very few people who know everything about you, _Lulu_." And Suzaku hoped that he hadn't sounded as if he were attempting to convince himself of such a thing.

A true smile over came Lelouch's face as he mentally agreed. In reality, Suzaku was the _only_ person who knew everything about him (though he wouldn't dare to tell Suzaku this lest he wanted to aide in giving the boy an even bigger ego). He was comforted by that thought. "I wish that I could say the same about you." He resisted the urge to smile again as Suzaku's face fell into a frown.

"What are you talking about? You know me better than I even know myself." _To some degree_, was what Suzaku wanted to tack on but he refrained. Soon enough, Lelouch would be all caught up and he'd be able to give him advice that only Lelouch Vi Britannia could give.

In the mind of the young prince were thoughts of how those words had minutely satisfied the insecure child within. A little confirmation when he was in doubt was enough to slake his worries. "I was only pulling your leg _Suzu_." His gaze strayed from the brunet to the hostess openly gapping at the two of them. "Bring us to a private booth in the back."

"Of-Of course. Right this way."

Suzaku elbowed Lelouch and shot him a look as they followed behind the girl. He'd brought out the "intimidating prince" in order to get his way. It was something that he unconsciously did whenever he wanted to be sure that he got his way. Lelouch was so spoiled sometimes…

"I'll send a waiter over right away sirs." She scurried off quickly.

Lelouch smirked as he opened the door to the small room. "Had I not done that, we wouldn't have any privacy."

"I could've asked her."

Violet eyes twinkled with mirth. "Sure you could have. But it no longer matters."

Suzaku frowned as he shut the door and took a seat. "I bet it doesn't."

"Now, now, don't sulk. I'll apologize in the form of a nice tip later."

That picked up Suzaku's frown. "Don't you mean that _I'll_ be leaving a nice tip?"

Lelouch smiled. "You, me, same thing."

When the waiter knocked on the door the two quickly ordered their long awaited sushi platter. Shortly after, the waiter returned with their appetizers. Aside from the cheesy Japanese folk music playing in the background, a comfortable silence had settled about the room. But silence wasn't what either of them wanted.

"You said that you wanted to talk to me about something." Lelouch wasn't one to forget and he'd been curious ever since Suzaku had brought it up.

Absently, he picked up a piece of tuna and offered it to the boy and after Suzaku took a bite and nodded in approval, he deemed it good enough to eat for himself. He could never be too cautious.

Suzaku smiled as he watched Lelouch plop the rest of the tuna into his mouth. Old habits died hard and the prince was certainly no exception to that rule. They'd been friends for so long… and he had a lot to tell Lelouch, his oldest, dearest, and most treasured friend.

"Oh yea… Well… I…" But he didn't exactly know where to start. How was he to tell Lelouch that there was a strong possibility that both males and females were attractive to him? It wasn't something that people discussed regularly and he hadn't prepared a speech for the occasion. It was still a confusing concept to him.

"Just say it as it comes to mind."

That made sense to Suzaku. Leave it to Lelouch to help him even when he didn't know what was going on. "I think I like guys." It sounded awkward to his ears and he'd left out the fact that girls weren't out of the picture but Lelouch had told him to say it as it came to mind…

"Excuse me?" Amethyst eyes stared on in confusion as that lone statement attempted to register itself in Lelouch's mind.

_I like guys._

Was Suzaku joking? And what exactly did he mean by saying _I like guys_? Was _Guys_ a new band or did he honestly mean that he liked-

Suzaku chuckled as he sat back in his chair, his gaze trained on Lelouch. "It's crazy, I know, but after talking to Gino and Kallen… who's to say that I can't like both guys and girls? The idea was odd to me but I wasn't opposed to it so I figured there must be a possibility that I'm for it." A shaky tan hand snaked its way through tussled brown hair. "I've looked a few guys over the last few weeks and some of them are cute, you know, but I don't know… Girls are still at the top of my radar but I'm not appalled by the idea of going out with another guy…" He was rambling, he knew it, but that's what he did when he was nervous and Lelouch's face was too blank for him to read…

"So you like guys as in, you like males or people of the same sex?" Lelouch's voice was calm and steady as he attempted to assess the situation properly. He wanted to be sure of all the facts before he voiced his questions and opinions.

All of the facts.

"Yes."

"But you still like females?"

"Yes."

"And you came to this conclusion simply because you weren't opposed to the idea?"

"Yes."

A small smile touched Lelouch's face as he shook his head. "That's so very like you." Only Suzaku would think that something was fine based on the lone fact that he didn't find offense to it. It was one of the things that Lelouch had always liked about him. "Well… So long as this is your choice and it makes you happy then more power to you." Honestly, he would have never pegged Suzaku as any type of queer… then again, the boy tended to follow his cock when it came to his relationships so yes. His choice to incorporate both men and women into his sexual repertoire made sense in the long run.

Really, Lelouch should have called such a thing from the very beginning.

The breath that Suzaku didn't know that he'd been holding was released as he collapsed against the table in front of him. "Thank god."

Lelouch frowned. "What? You thought I'd toss you away because of that did you? Do you not know my family?"

The royal family was filled with people who held eccentric taste.

Schneizel had a penchant for men more so than women, though he didn't deny a woman if she had qualities that he admired. Furthermore, Schneizel felt that men were closest to being his equal in both strength and intellect and he didn't have the time to coddle a second Prince also liked that men were far easier to coax into his bed than a woman who needed- needed romance, needed commitment, needed security... women needed far too much for his taste.

Clovis dabbled in both sex pools and stated regularly that he was European friendly, or rather, everyone was fair game. His love had no bounds, which was to be expected of an artist.

Guinevere had an affinity for beautiful things, which ultimately led to her keeping a female harem. They were her _jewels_ so to speak and everyone simply accepted that particular quirk of hers.

Perhaps the one with the most outlandish form of love was the King himself, Charles Zi Britannia, who had a horde of 138 consorts over the years and not all of them were of the female persuasion.

Suffice to say, Lelouch would be a hypocrite were he to judge Suzaku for his taste in partners. It was still surprising… but not in a bad way.

Suzaku smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He did know Lelouch's family and he felt like a fool for even daring to think that his best friend would look at him differently after such a confession. "I know that you'll always love me no matter what. I was just testing you."

The prince scoffed. "Testing me my ass… But I do still love you so rejoice in that."

There was a knock on the door before it opened and their food was set before them. The sushi platter was large and though they both knew that it would in no way compare to what they could have were they in Japan, they would enjoy it no less.

In between bites, Lelouch decide to continue their conversation. He still had questions that he wanted answers to. "How did talking to Gino and Kallen bring you to this sudden conclusion?" And where had he been? Such life altering decisions were usually passed through him before Suzaku finalized anything… so how had Gino and Kallen been able to help?

"I didn't know that Kallen was into other women when she said it so I asked her about it, which led to Gino saying that he batted for both teams… And then Kallen asked me if I was secretly in league with them and I told her that I didn't know." He shrugged and took a sip of his soda. "I'd never thought about it. I didn't need to and it'd never come up before."

A jet black brow rose inquiringly. "Not even when guys confessed to you?" Because he knew of Suzaku's surprise every time it happened.

"I never took those seriously but now I feel like an asshole for it." Maybe he could still apologize to those that he'd hurt with his ignorance. The only thing that made him feel better about it was the fact that he'd turned them down just as nicely as he turned down girls that he wasn't interested in.

"And what about when the girls started the floating rumor that we're secretly an item?"

Suzaku's grin was wolfish as his emerald eyes met violet. "That's a truth, not a rumor _Lu_. You know very well that you were and always have been my first love." He laughed as the prince's ivory cheeks took on a lovely scarlet hue.

When they'd first met, he'd thought Lelouch to be a girl and he'd called it love at first sight but the image was shattered the moment the arrogant prince opened his mouth to speak. He'd told Lelouch this a few years ago and it was a running joke between them and their mothers.

"Imagine if Cee-Cee or Milly were to catch wind of that. We would never hear the end of it." Lelouch smirked as a thought came to mind. "Unless that's exactly what you want. Have you been harboring feelings for me _Suzu_ and this is your way of slyly letting me know?"

The boy in question scoffed at such an accusation. "As if you'd be my type." He knew Lelouch too well to think of him as more than what he already was: his best friend.

Lelouch's face contorted in mock hurt. "I am beyond your type. In fact, you'd be lucky to have me as _your type_."

"If you say so." A smile played at his lips as he popped a piece of tuna into his mouth.

Periwinkle eyes narrowed into a glare. "I do say so."

"Fine. You can be my type if you want. You have your moments I guess." Suzaku winked but he couldn't contain his laughter any longer, nor could Lelouch.

And though they were laughing, something about that statement made Lelouch swoon. He wasn't sure what it was and he didn't want to dwell on it either. Not when they were only joking. Maybe he was happy on account that he felt closer to Suzaku when he'd recently felt as if the boy were slipping away from him… That was it.

There was nothing more to it.

"So Gino likes boys does he?" And the change of topic was easily embraced as they continued to eat and discuss how the school year was progressing.

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**"_Bitches love me cuz they know that I can rock!_"**

Amethyst eyes glowered in the direction of the noise. This would be the fourth time that the same song was going to play. How were Gino and Suzaku able to sit there as if they couldn't hear a thing?

**"_Bitches love me cuz they know that I can rhyme._"**

Why? Why did the world seek to punish him when he'd done nothing to deserve it? Wasn't he sitting there teaching Suzaku and Gino calculus out of the kindness in his heart? He was such a giver and yet that horrid excuse for music had yet to shut off.

**"_Bitches love me cuz they know that I can fuck!_"**

He'd been nice… most of the time. And he'd attended all of his classes, even that insufferable P.E. course that he would resume skipping once he found a good hiding spot.

**"_Bitches love me cuz they know that I'm on time._"**

Angrily, Lelouch rolled out of Suzaku's bed and yanked open the door. He walked the two yards or so to the room beside Suzaku's and, without knocking, he pushed the door open and glared at the ignorant boy fumbling with the switches on a high-tech radio. In four long strides, he was standing in front of the stereo and he easily turned it off before focusing his steely gaze on the smaller boy.

"Would you mind telling me why it is that I and the rest of the occupants in the A Dorms have been forced to listen to that trash for the last fifteen minutes?"

The smaller boy nervously glanced up at him before his eyes darted back towards the radio. "I- I didn't do it on purpose. I mean… my roommate has this on a timer and I didn't- I don't-" He fidgeted with his hands as he stared at his feet.

"Just be sure to tell your _roommate_ to keep it down. I can't concentrate with this sorry excuse for music blaring into my room." Honestly, who listened to a song that only spoke of bitches over and over again?

The boy nodded meekly. "Ah, yes. I'm sorry."

Lelouch sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No need to apologize. Tell your roommate to be considerate to those living around him." He turned to walk away but paused when that small voice called out to him.

"Do you live next door?"

He turned to stare at the fragile looking boy. He had accidentally referred to Suzaku's room as his own hadn't he? He was there enough to consider it parts his. "Not exactly… but my friends do and I've been told that this happens far too often for me not to say something about it." Next time he hoped to say something to the asshole who insisted upon torturing the masses with his lack of taste in music.

"Oh… well… I would like to apologize to them as well." His words sounded sincere enough.

"Very well, follow me." Lelouch trailed out of the room feeling accomplished. He pushed open Suzaku's room door and smiled in the boy's direction. "Aren't you happy that I did something about that?"

Suzaku laughed. "I didn't care either way." He raised an eyebrow as he stared at the kid standing behind Lelouch. "Who's that?"

"Oh… he's-"

The boy stepped from behind Lelouch to smile softly at the other occupants of the room. "Hello, I'm Rolo Halliburton. I live next door and I came to apologize for the disturbance." He bowed slightly before he stood again.

"Eh? Don't worry about it. It wasn't really bothering me. I'm Suzaku by the way." He jutted a thumb in Gino's direction. "That's Gino." Gino gave a quick wave and a smile before he returned to glaring at his homework. "And the guy who probably scared the shit out of you by bursting into your room is Lelouch."

Lelouch frowned as he reclaimed his seat on Suzaku's bed. "I did no such thing. I was rather reserved considering my annoyance."

Emerald irises pointedly glanced at the haughty prince before Suzaku returned his gaze to the boy still standing in the middle of their room. "I'll apologize for him in advance."

"I don't get this shit!" Gino's chair scrapped against the floor as he stood and stretched. Calculus was the bane of every man's existence. "When in my daily life am I going to use functions?"

"If you go into Engineering…" Rolo trailed off as all eyes turned in his direction.

Suzaku's lips stretched upwards. "Engineering?" The boy nodded. "You can sit down if you want to. Or maybe you can even help us. Are you in calc?"

"I… I have college level calculus." Was his careful reply as he seated himself on the couch.

Green eyes widened as Suzaku glanced at Lelouch. "Lelouch was in that class a few years ago. That's why he's helping us now." He ignored the scowl on his best friends face and swiveled in his chair to face Rolo. The boy was kind of cute in his opinion and he'd be the perfect starter… "Do you think you can help me with this problem and Lelouch can focus on helping Gino since he needs more work than I do?"

Sky blue eyes thinned as Gino stared at Suzaku in disbelief. "I can't help that I'm not a math person."

"I… I can help. I just… Sorry if I'm not good at it. I've never really- I haven't helped before."

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Suzaku stood from his desk to bring his books over to the couch where Rolo was seated.

Gino watched in fascination as the two got down to business. He knew Suzaku's intentions from the instant the boy made the suggestion and he didn't miss the subtle flirting on his friend's behalf. Rolo seemed to be slightly oblivious but the light tinge of pink on his cheeks showed that he wasn't completely unaware of Suzaku's charm. And damn if the Japanese boy wasn't good at what he did. He'd easily moved into the swing of playing both fields but Gino supposed it came with his whole being a "predator" versus being the "prey". Suzaku was a lucky man.

It was interesting to watch him work.

But it was more interesting to watch Lelouch's reaction to the entire ordeal. The boy was quietly seething. Gino could tell by the blank stare that was directed at the two on the couch.

There was one thing that Gino had learned after acquainting himself with Suzaku, it was that Lelouch came along with that package and the dark haired boy didn't like to share. It'd taken him two years to worm his way onto Lelouch's good side and sometimes he still wasn't sure that he'd made it there. In essence, the same could be said about Suzaku. The two were close and, if he recalled correctly, they'd been best friends since they were fairly young. Friendships like that were hard to come by so it was no wonder that they were protective of theirs. Or maybe it was something else entirely and those two simply weren't privy to it yet.

Either way, that issue currently paled in comparison to Gino's unfinished calc homework. "Come on Lelouch, help me with these damn functions."

Lelouch hummed in acknowledgement as he moved to sit near Gino. He would ignore the other two in the room in favor of working on the task at hand… for now.

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

**A/N: **First things first, in the Geass fandom, Charles really did have 130-some consorts. That is not a made up fact.

Everything else is for the most part... well, about Schneizel, Clovis, and Guinevere that is.

Anyway, Rolo... he probably seems out of character but trust me... he's in character. Think about how he was when he was **_pretending_ **to be Lu's brother. Think about it nice and hard. That aside, Suzaku just came out to Lelouch, yeah. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying this so far. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

* * *

**If you dug it, drop me a line****. Thanks for reading.**


	4. Who Are Bitter

**Warning:**_ Language. Alternate Universe. Cheesy humor. Mentions of Sex._**  
**

* * *

**Pairings: **Suzaku x Lelouch. All others that occur are either not important or short-lived.

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**JUST FRIENDS  
**

_IV__: Who_ _Are Bitter_

* * *

"The Halloween Bash is set for this Friday but I think we'll start the whole thing off with a bang!" Milly grinned from ear to ear as her gaze darted between the faces of the other council members.

"A 'bang'?"

She clapped happily and nodded. "Yes, a bang! We'll have an event!"

"What kind of event?"

Her smile broadened. "I'm glad that you asked. Many people would expect there to simply be a costume contest because Halloween is all about enjoying a night of fantasy, however, I think we'll do something in addition to that. We're going to have a scavenger hunt."

Violet eyes narrowed. "And what, pray tell, is the prize at the end of this ridiculous race?" Because every time there was an event thrown by the student council, Lelouch found himself to be the fool aka the prize.

"What a stupendous question, Lulu." Milly's maniacal smirk unsettled the lot. "All of you are the prize!"

For a moment, there was silence. And then the entire room chorused a disgruntled, "what?"

"Who said that I wanted anything to do with this?"

"I… I don't want to be a prize."

"Awesome!"

Lelouch's furious gaze met Milly's amused one. "I will be no one's prize. I refuse to participate."

"I second that." Kallen muttered as she slouched in her chair.

"But you will, unless of course you," she smiled at Lelouch, "want me to tell your peers about March 3rd of three years past." Milly then smiled softly at Kallen. "And I'm sure many people would love to see the photos that I have of an adorable, younger, and more innocent Kallen Stadtfeld." Both blushed accordingly and the president knew that she'd won.

Suzakubit back his laughter as memories of the aforementioned date sprung to mind and he, instead, opted to ask a question on Lelouch's behalf. "Can we win ourselves?"

"No and yes. You all have the opportunity of having someone buy your way out of this event… so to speak."

Rivalz waved his hand to speak next. "And what is the event?"

"I, Nunnally, Sayoko, and Anya are going to hide one million Halloween dollars around Ashford's campus Thursday night and I will make an announcement Friday morning at the start of the school day." She seated herself atop the desk at the front of the room. "As you've all noticed, I've just given you an advantage. Find as many as you like but you won't find them all."

Golden irises twinkled mirthfully as Cee-Cee watched Milly from the back of the room. She rather liked the idea of a scavenger hunt and then a bid... "So we'll use them to buy someone?"

"Buy?"

"Who said anything about buying?"

Milly's grin rivaled that of the devil and everyone paled. "I was just getting to that. You see… that faux money will be used to bid on you lot. Do have fun." Oh yes… she had plans for some of them and pots to mix up. She could already foresee the outcome of her event and she knew that she would thoroughly enjoy watching everything play out.

"And what are we supposed to do when we're bought?"

Smoky eyes gleamed beneath the light. "This weekend will be a date weekend in which the biddys will also take on the responsibility of wining and dining the bidders. And I say the entire weekend because some of you may end up double booked. For example, say Kallen buys Suzaku but then she is bought by Rivalz, her date with Suzaku would be on Saturday and her date with Rivalz would be the day after. Or there could be the case that someone finds enough stickers to bid for two people." That would be a very interesting scenario to say the least.

Nearly everyone groaned with that bit of information.

It was going to be a long weekend.

"At least we can look forward to the dance." Rivalz smiled but his attempt at lightening the mood hadn't worked.

"That's right! So everyone don your best costumes and report to the gym promptly after class on Friday." Milly glanced to her side briefly. "Oh! Starting tomorrow we will meet in the grand hall to begin setting up for the dance. Meeting adjourned."

It was going to be a very long week.

* * *

It'd happened in an instant and later Lelouch would realize that Milly had so thoroughly planned for the event that she'd even gotten permission from the teachers (all of them) to cancel classes for the day and coerced them into participating in the event as money carriers. If you were smart enough to ask a teacher about money, they would hand you 10,000 dollars instantly… That woman's power was simply scary and not to be taken lightly. Nevertheless, the second the announcement about the hunt ended, everyone had begun to rush around in a flurry of movement, classes completely forgotten.

Lelouch vi Britannia (Lelouch Lamperouge to those he attend school with) had never felt as frightened for his life as he had then.

Save for, perhaps, now as the bidding for himself was between two of his well-known stalkers and he did not want to end up in either of their clutches. He could only imagine what a date with Hilda or Priscilla Dartley would entail and he didn't want it to become a reality.

He took a moment to curse Cee-Cee for the witch had obtained an ample amount of that accursed money but she'd simply smiled before bidding them all on Kallen. She was so very desperate. And then there was Suzaku, his back-up, grinning like a fool and enjoying his misery.

He thought of how Gino was sold to a gorgeous girl who was meek and soft spoken but had managed to conjure up a decent lump sum. He thought of how Cee-Cee was easily snatched up by some guy he recognized from the swim team prior to her purchase of Kallen. He thought of how Rivalz had been sold off to some random girl with yellow bows in her hair and of Shirley's being pawned off to someone in the basketball club. Even Nina was luckier than he for she'd been sold to a guy from the tech club that was rumored to adore her. And out of all of his rabid fans, somehow, the two who lusted after him the most and were far too unrefined in his opinion, were the ones who ended up with the most money.

It wasn't fair.

"50,000!" Shouted Priscilla and Lelouch resisted the urge to groan. How had she managed to get so many?

Milly gripped the microphone in hand, her gaze stern as she glanced out into the audience. "50,000 going once… 50,000 going twice… so-"

"90,000 !" Suzaku finally chimed in and Lelouch wanted to weep happily. And then maim the boy for taking so long and making him worry.

"Sold to Mr. Kururugi!"

Hilda and Priscilla exchanged glances before shrieking a "what" and protesting in outrage. "There's no way that he could have that much money!"

But there was because Lelouch was a lazy athlete and he'd taken it upon himself to simply ask the teachers for money and the chairman was a bonus of a whopping 100,000 dollar jackpot.

"We shall see about that. In the meantime, Suzaku, make your way up here next."

Suzaku grinned and handed the girl his wad of money before he took his seat on stage beside Lelouch. "You're welcomed."

"Yes… well at least our weekend is spared."

Suzaku's grin broadened. "Oh no you don't. You're wining and dining me this weekend just as the rules state. I want my free dinner and a movie, even if I have to blackmail it out of you."

Lelouch frowned. "That's absurd."

"It isn't. You've been a real diva for the last two or three weeks now and I think I deserve a break." Suzaku didn't understand Lelouch's steadily increasing bitchy mood but it didn't appear as if it were going anywhere anytime soon and he just wanted a breather. Maybe if he got the prince away from the academy for a while, he'd lighten up. Lelouch tended to relax when it was just the two of them and they hadn't had that luxury in sometime.

Lilac eye narrowed. "I have not! But I will not sit here and dispute this with you now." Lelouch felt as though he had just cause for his sour mood.

Ever since Suzaku had stumbled upon _Rolo _a month prior _Rolo_ was always around_. _And Lelouch couldn't escape him, which was wearing on his patience.

Whenever he wanted a moment to speak with Suzaku, _Rolo _was there. Whenever he went to his friend's room,_Rolo _was there. Whenever they ate lunch, whether it were in the cafeteria, the student council room, or elsewhere, _Rolo_ was there. It was getting ridiculous. More so considering that everyone else in their small group had embraced Rolo as though he'd always been _there_…

Lelouch didn't think he was a proper fit. He couldn't tell heads or tails with the boy and he was surprised that anyone else could. One moment Rolo was meek and docile and in the next he'd be funny and charming only to flip and return to a coy and stuttering imbecile. Lelouch wanted him to pick a personality and stick with it. For that reason alone, Lelouch was weary of the boy and didn't trust him.

Not by a long shot.

And certainly not for Suzaku.

"Sold to… Cee-Cee!"

Lelouch shook himself from his daze and cast a sidelong glance down the row of chairs to meet Cee-Cee's gleeful gaze. "_What the hell are you doing witch?" _He quickly mouthed but she simply smiled before leaning back in her seat_._

That's when he remembered the other half of his headache: that insufferable, green haired, witch who'd insisted upon flaunting irrelevant facts in his face- facts that concerned _his _best friend and the current bane of his existence: _Rolo__._

And they wondered why his mood had turned south…

"This'll be interesting… We'll go out on Sunday to make up for whatever hell Cee-Cee plans to put me through on Saturday." Suzaku ruffled Lelouch's hair as he stood to stretch now that the bidding wars were over. "Be sure to plan something nice."

"I certainly will not-"

"But you will." Milly muttered into his ear and he stilled. Where she'd materialized from, he had not a clue. "Or I will tell the world of Luluko and her beauty before posting the video for the world to see."

One drunken mistake and it became his eternal punishment… he would never again touch alcohol when in the presence of Milly. Never.

But he would play along for the time being. He smiled his best smile before standing and muttering a curt, "Sunday it is."

"Good… because I'll be watching. Now go get ready for the dance and meet in the grand hall in an hour to finish up preparation." With that she wandered away.

Lelouch heaved a sigh. He knew it from the very beginning that such a large and elaborate event was set up merely to cause him strife.

It always was.

* * *

Tiredly, Suzaku seated himself at a vacant table, a soft smile playing at his lips as he politely requested to be spared from dancing. That's all he'd done for a majority of the night and he needed a breather.

From his vantage point, he watched as Kitten Rolo danced with Pirate Milly, or rather, as Pirate Milly swung and moved Kitten Rolo across the dance floor. The boy's cheeks were rosy with the onset of his nerves but he was laughing at whatever it was the president was saying to him.

Rolo was adorable. And when their eyes met briefly, Rolo glanced away but his smile widened all the more, which served to further that notion.

Suzaku was positive that Rolo was attracted to him. Which wasn't exactly a surprise. Suzaku had laid on the charm and he'd made his own attraction fairly obvious from the very start. How could he not. Rolo was beautiful in a way that Suzaku had never cared to notice before. As Rolo started to open up, Suzaku realized that he genuinely liked the guy beyond his aesthetic appeal. Rolo was intelligent, he was funny, he was quick witted, he was shy, he was sweet, he was modest, and he was… a lot like Lelouch when Suzaku really thought about it.

It was too bad that the prince wasn't as fond of Rolo as everyone else.

Though Lelouch hadn't announced his disdain towards Rolo (nor did he go out of his way to express it), Suzaku knew Lelouch well enough to notice when his best friend didn't care for someone. He knew Lelouch's quirks, what made him tick, what made him happy, what made him fly off of the handle… Suzaku knew everything about Lelouch Vi Britannia so it wasn't hard for him to spot when the prince couldn't a give a care in the world about any given subject or person.

And Lelouch couldn't care any less for Rolo.

Suzaku sorely hoped for that to change because, if things went his way, Rolo would be a bit more than his friend and he'd like it if the two got along. They didn't have to be best friends but he, at the very least, wanted them to be cordial.

"That unbearable wretch still refuses to tell me why she bought you."

Suzaku stared at Masquerade Prince Lelouch who looked like… well, he looked like himself during a _casual party _thrown at the palace: tight black pants, knee high (and calf tight) black leather boots, crisp white button-up shirt, and black tailcoat with gorgeous golden embroidery patterns for trim. The only addition was the black and gold masquerade mask that brought out his surreal violet eyes. Lelouch looked stunning, for a lack of better phrasing. Or rather, he looked every bit of the royalty that he was and all night long people had attempted to sweep him away. Suzaku was amazed that his dear friend had managed to slip away from his adoring horde in order to make it to their table.

With a sigh and a glance around the room, Lelouch took a seat beside Suzaku. "She's as ridiculous as the women who've been hounding me all night."

"I don't suppose it matters. I can tolerate her for the whole of one day." Suzaku was lying through his teeth but he sincerely hoped for the best.

Lelouch laughed. "I bet. If worse comes to worse, call me and I'll intervene."

That wasn't a bad idea. Suzaku intended to do just that. "Then I'll text you as soon as she shows up."

The prince hummed thoughtfully which was followed by a yawn. "Are you ready to go yet?"

"Not really. I mean, I promised Rolo that I'd save my last dance for him and-" Suzaku paused at the look on Lelouch's face. It was one that he was growing fond of considering it showed how much his old friend cared and jealousy was an expression very befitting of Lelouch. "Well… Is Nunnally ready?"

A frown was etched into ivory features. "She's going to Milly's sleepover."

"Fine, I'll walk you home after I say goodnight to everyone. Is that alright with you, your highness?" Suzaku's tone was dripping with sarcasm but his impish grin had yet to waver.

Lelouch smiled in lieu of his friend's jeer. "It's fine, my knight."

Suzaku _was_ dressed as a royal Knight of the Rounds. Lelouch hadn't told Suzaku what that costume symbolized when he'd given it to him but it didn't matter in the long run. Orchid irises scrutinized the expanse of Suzaku's back and Lelouch came to the conclusion that the outfit was very befitting of Suzaku.

And that thought led him to remember that, in a few years, he would have to choose his very own knight. But he didn't want just anyone. A Knight for one of the members of the Royal family was more than just a simple protector. It was someone who would have to be compatible with him, which in no way meant that they had to have the same personality. Although, his Knight would have to be humble about his position_._

His Knight would need to have all of the qualities required to become a symbol of the Royal House. And those were quirks that went well beyond ones strength or social status. A Royal Knight was someone who would have to be prepared to give up their entire life for their prince because they were going to be by his side until they withered away into nothing sans a memory.

It was going to be a hard task when the time came to find a Knight worthy of him because Lelouch was, essentially, looking for the militarized version of Suzaku.

"Ready, my prince."

The words caused sparks to jolt down Lelouch's spine as they brushed against his ear. He took a moment to compose himself before he turned to stare at Suzaku, scathing remark on his tongue, but it died when he noticed _him. "__Rolo."_

"Oh, yea… I said I'd drop him off at his dorm because, you know, it's late. Plus, I've gotta grab some stuff from my room before we go back to your place."

Lelouch nodded as he stood from the table and made his way out of the back doors with Suzaku and Rolo on his heels. The music from the dance became a dull hum as they drew further away from the Grand Hall but it was better than the tense silence that they were submerged in.

"So… what are you doing after you drop me off?" Rolo's voice was soft, quiet, and, in Lelouch's opinion, annoying.

"Going to watch horror movies at Lelouch's. It's tradition."

"I… Are the two of you…" The words were a jumble in Rolo's mouth before he tried again. "Are you two, um…"

"Dating." Lelouch supplied angrily. How hard was it to ask if he and Suzaku were dating.

Suzaku burst into a fit of laughter as he wrapped an arm around Rolo's shoulders. "No… just…" Clearing his throat and with a teasing upturn of his lips, Suzaku tried again. "No, we're not dating. Lu and I are just friends, best friends, and we've known each other nearly our whole lives."

"Oh." Rolo hadn't known that tidbit of information.

From the corner of his eye, Lelouch stared at Rolo. "So don't fret, I'm not in the way of your _interest _in Suzaku_."_

The boy blushed brilliantly and his lilac eyes widened. "I… I mean… I wasn't…"

"Ignore him Rolo." Suzaku's emerald gaze was amused as he glanced away from the boy beneath his arm and towards his best friend. "Lelouch doesn't adhere to the idea of subtlety."

The prince scoffed. "As if it wasn't obvious as to what he was hinting at or even why for that matter."

"In that case, I hope I've been as obvious." He winked and enjoyed the ripening of Rolo's plump cheeks before the boy nervously glanced away.

"But of course you have." Violet eyes rolled skyward before Lelouch opened the door to the A Dorms.

"Good." Suzaku paused once he was outside of Rolo's room and he smiled as he removed his arm from thin shoulders. "Well, goodnight Rolo." He leaned in and kissed the top of the brunet's head before he waved and followed Lelouch to his own room.

"That was real smooth what, you did back there." Lelouch's sarcastic drawl made Suzaku smile as he turned on the overhead light.

"If you weren't there it would've been… different, but I was trying to be courteous to you both."

Lelouch glared as he took a seat on the couch. "Courteous?"

Suzaku nodded absently as he kneeled in front of the stand beneath the television and pulled out three movies. "Yep. I could have pushed Rolo against his room door and gave him a proper kiss goodnight. Letting him stew over that would've moved things along faster but I didn't want to inconvenience you."

Lelouch laughed at Suzaku's honesty. "Then I should say sorry for hindering your progress." He wasn't fond of Rolo but he did admire Suzaku's wisdom, knowledge, and tact when it came to coercing someone into his bed.

It was that particular blemish in Suzaku's seemingly _wholesome _persona that Lelouch enjoyed the most. No one was perfect but he was the only one who knew all of Suzaku Kururugi's imperfections. Suzaku's sexual habits being one of them. His mind was put at ease now that he knew that Rolo was nothing more than a sexual conquest to his friend as opposed to a serious relational endeavor. That meant that there was potential for Rolo to not be around for very long and Lelouch wouldn't mind that in the least.

"You'll be forgiven if you cut back on being so snippy." Suzaku stood with movies in one hand and the other outstretched to pull Lelouch from the couch.

"I am _not _snippy_…" _Which was his way of saying yes, his temper would simmer down. But that was only because he no longer felt threatened. Lelouch took Suzaku's offered hand and stood. "What do you have in your hand?"

"Hmm… Zombie Apocalypse Space Station, some vampire movie that Gino told me to watch, and Madox: Campsite Massacre." He laughed at the expression on Lelouch's face. "It'll be fun."

"I'm sure."

In general, horror movies did not scare Lelouch because there was no logic behind them. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other supernatural beings, they simply didn't exist. Zombies agitated him the most considering there was absolutely no medical reason behind their existence no matter how a movie attempted to justify them.

Slasher movies, however, were his Achilles' heel. They scared the shit out of him. There was a very real possibility that a homicidal maniac could go on a rampage or killing spree. Growing up in the Royal palace, he was privy to the few instances in which something akin to that had actually happened. Knowing that there _was _a chance (even if it was slim to nil) made him illogically nervous and Lelouch didn't like that feeling. Not even a little bit.

He could tolerate most horror films but slasher flicks… they took the cake and rattled his nerves for days.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Shaky purple irises glanced around the dark room nervously before Lelouch gripped the edge of the bed and leaned over to stare at Suzaku who'd taken refuge on the floor.

"No… for the hundredth time. Just go to sleep." It was four in the morning and they'd been laying down for the last half hour but every time Suzaku was close to falling asleep, Lelouch would wake him up to ask if he'd heard something.

It was just getting ridiculous.

"Someone might be out there." Lelouch frowned as he continued to clutch at his comforter, his eyes trained on Suzaku's back. "Go see if someone's out there." He poked a tan neck. "Protect me damn it."

There could be a murder outside and Suzaku was doing naught about it. Did he want them to die? Did he?

Suzaku groaned as he rolled over to stare up at Lelouch tiredly. "Fuck it…" He muttered as he stood and pushed Lelouch over. He moved back the comforter, climbed into the bed, and once he was comfortable, he wrapped an arm around Lelouch's lithe waist and pulled the prince flank against him. "Now go to sleep. I'll protect you." He smiled sleepily before he dozed off, his light snores caressing jet black tresses.

Lelouch was shocked into silence as he laid there with Suzaku's heated, naked, chest pressed to his back and the boy's warm arm wrapped snuggly about his clothed middle. Did he feel safe? Yes. Was this what he'd had in mind when he'd asked to be protected? Not at all. But Lelouch _did _feel incredibly secure with Suzaku spooned behind him… The position felt rather natural... as if they fit perfectly as they were.

Technically, they were cuddling and he hated cuddling because it was an invasion of his space, his personal bubble, but Suzaku did not feel like an invasion of anything. It was comforting in a way and perhaps it was because he was still anxious after watching that Madox movie but Lelouch was pleasantly surprised to see that he didn't mind "cuddling" with Suzaku. Rarely was he ever bothered when Suzaku occupied his personal bubble but that was only due to the fact that they'd grown up together. He'd become accustomed to Suzaku _invading _his space_._

When they first met -that very first night when they'd been told to share a futon, Lelouch had woken at the slightest shift from Suzaku. He'd thrown a fit about it. He wasn't used to sharing anything (let alone his personal space) with anyone aside from his mother and Nunnally and he'd never planned on changing that. And then he'd met the young Suzaku who'd taken it upon himself to disregard his comfort in favor of completely doing as he saw fit by means of pushing the young prince out of his comfort zone at every turn. In other words, Suzaku would touch and pester Lelouch just to annoy him. Lelouch had resisted it for as long as he could but he couldn't escape the hugs, the wrestling, the sharing of food that he wasn't accustomed to eating, or the foot in his side whenever they went to bed at night.

After living in the Kururugi household for three solid months and sharing a room with Suzaku (because he would not sleep alone in such a foreign place), Lelouch had accepted and grew fond of Suzaku invading his personal bubble.

That hadn't changed over the years.

Their current situation was a bit different than a simple hug or touch but it wasn't entirely new. On occasions when they would share a bed, they would wake up embraced and there was nothing more to it than that.

This was just the first time that they went to bed intentionally pressed together… and something about that flushed Lelouch's alabaster skin an angry shade of red and made his blood furiously rush through his veins.

But he didn't want to think about it.

Lelouch just wanted to go to sleep and wake up in the morning… alive.

He closed his eyes and relaxed as he mentally counted backwards from ten. Before he reached five, he was softly snoring.

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

**A/N: **Rolo... he probably seems out of character but trust me... he's in character. Think about how he was when he was **_pretending_ **to be Lu's brother. Think about it nice and hard.

That aside, things between Suzaku and Lelouch are progressing smoothly, yeah. Lulu's jealousy is showing hmm... Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying this so far. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

* * *

**If you dug it, drop me a line****. Otherwise, thanks for reading.**


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